


Just Say You'll Go

by a_phoeniceus



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Coach Victor Nikiforov, Domestic Bliss, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Fluff, Hasetsu, Ice Skating, M/M, Supportive Katsuki Yuuri, Supportive Victor Nikiforov, Vacation, Victuuri Week, Victuuri Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-16 13:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9273839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_phoeniceus/pseuds/a_phoeniceus
Summary: Victor coaxes Yuuri into visiting Hasetsu for a brief vacation after Yuuri's exhibition and silver medal win at the Grand Prix Final. Experience pure domestic Victuuri bliss.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor notices that Yuuri is having trouble on the rink and suggests they take a trip back to Japan.

Victor’s eyes trailed Yuuri as he floated across the ice, gathering speed for a jump. Leaning back on the rail slightly, Victor’s eyes narrowed, realizing that his student wouldn’t have the necessary momentum to--

_ Ah, there it is, _ he thought, grimacing as Yuuri went flying. A few of the other skaters in the rink eyed him discreetly, obviously wondering if he was alright, but not feeling pressed to ask as they continued with their own lessons and practice. Victor waited patiently for him to get up and try again, because while they were most of the way through their afternoon practice, Yuuri was behind schedule for the late winter and early spring international events. Usually, Yuuri bounced back from his falls, but now he simply laid on the ice, staying on his belly with his cheek pressed to the unforgiving, but reassuring, surface.

Concerned, Victor pushed away from the rail and glided over to him. “Yuuri,” he said, savoring the way the syllables rolled off of his tongue, even after the thousands of times he had said his fianc é ’s name before. “Are you alright?” He knelt down on the ice, reaching tentatively to touch his student’s shoulder.

Yuuri sighed and turned his face away from Victor’s to hide his expression, “Yes.”

“Do you want to try it again, maybe with music this time, to help your timing?”

The long pause preceding Yuuri’s affirmation caught his attention, and Victor checked his watch. “Well, it’s almost six o’clock, would you like to have some dinner instead?”

Yuuri sat up slowly, squinting at him in thought, “Practice is until seven.”

Victor smiled warmly, and was rewarded with the faintest blush rising to Yuuri’s cheeks, “Yes, but that’s the third time you’ve fallen while trying to do a triple axel, let’s not waste any more time today.”

Irritation flickered over Yuuri’s face, which amused Victor more than it bothered him. Reserved, nervous, polite Yuuri rarely showed his irritation outwardly, and its obvious presence made Victor thrilled to see the parts of his partner that weren’t expressed to many. 

“I’m behind schedule.”

“We’ll start early tomorrow.”

“I can do this jump,” he said stubbornly.

“I know you can,” Victor couldn’t help but touch Yuuri’s cheek, who responded by blushing and quickly standing up.

“Alright, but it’s your turn to choose where we go.”

Suppressing a laugh, Victor tried to take Yuuri’s irritation seriously, watching as the younger skater glided away from him, towards the locker room.  _ You are just too beautiful _ , he thought, admiring the grace with which his partner huffed away. 

“I can’t believe you’re letting that pork cutlet off the hook early,” said a haughty voice from behind him.

Victor shifted, letting his weight slide his skates around to look at Yurio, “I’ll talk to Yakov if you want to come,” he responded, sliding into Russian out of habit. “I’ll even let you sit next to Yuuri.”

Yurio’s fair features twisted up in angst, “Why on earth would I want to spend any more time with that pig than I have to?” Grumbling to himself, he turned around, “Either way, I’m busy changing my free skate program to something I could use to beat that loser’s record.”

“If you say so,” Victor said, silently laughing to himself. He noticed Yakov on the other side of the rink, watching, and decided to go the long way to the locker room to avoid a lecture. The locker room was empty when he arrived,  _ Odd, Yuuri usually waits here, taking extra time to hang up his skates while I finish up.  _ With practiced motions, Victor untied and kicked his skates away before cramming his feet into a pair of socks and the practical slip on shoes he occasionally wore to the rink for their practicality.

He grabbed his coat and scarf, rushing out before bothering to put them on. 

Yuuri was standing outside at the entrance, his breath coming out in lazy white puffs. His hands were in his pockets, and his sports bag hung from one shoulder.  _ What could he possibly be thinking? _ Victor wondered, hurriedly pushing open the glass double doors separating them. Without slowing, he approached Yuuri and flung one arm around his shoulders, dipping his head to press his cheek against Yuuri’s, which was cool from the midwinter air. 

Startled, Yuuri reached around Victor’s waist and pulled himself into the embrace, murmuring something in Japanese that Victor couldn’t quite catch. 

“What was that?” he asked innocently.

“Oh,” Yuuri flushed, “Nothing, shall we go?”

Victor pulled away from their hug, only far enough to look Yuuri in the face. “Sure,” he said thoughtfully, “Do you want to stop by the apartment to change first? I’m thinking it would be nice to stay in with some take out or make something simple, unless you’d like to go out.”

Yuuri smiled, which caused Victor’s heart to weaken. “That sounds great, Vitya.”

And if his heart were weak already, the pet name made it melt. 

 

Back at their-- formally his-- apartment, Victor poured them each a glass of wine before readying two plates of pasta. As he reached into the fridge for the grated parmesan Yuuri loved to pile onto any and all Italian-themed food, he caught sight of the calendar hanging on the freezer.  _ Has it already been that long since the final?  _ He wondered, counting the weeks and days since Yuuri had brought home a gleaming silver medal, since Victor had lovingly cleared and rearranged both shelf and closet space to make room for Yuuri’s belongings. He glanced to Yuuri, who was sitting on the couch tabbing through available movies. He noticed him pause on some of the recent Japanese releases, which started showing up on Victor’s feed only after Yuuri had felt comfortable enough to start suggesting his own preferences for their nights in.

Victor picked up their plates and turned, almost tripping over a begging Makkachin in the process, “Oh, hush,” he murmured as the poodle let out a pitiful whine, “You don’t even like pasta.”

He brought the plates to Yuuri, who took them as Victor returned to the kitchen to retrieve their wine. 

The apartment was dark, and the cool glow of the TV casted an ethereal glow over Yuuri’s perfect features.  _ This is it, _ Victor thought, content, but Yuuri’s distracted expression worried him. “Yuuri, I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh?” he asked, taking one of the glasses Victor had brought him in exchange for a plate. He set it carefully on the coffee table, out of reach from Makkachin’s wagging tail.

“I think we should take a vacation before the European championships.”

“Eh?” Yuuri turned to face him, his soft brown eyes searching his. “I’m way behind on my routine, and if you’re going to be competing then you--”

  
“I know,” Victor said quickly, quelling Yuuri’s words before they could build up on themselves.

With a sigh, Yuuri asked, “Where do you want to go?” He wasn’t particularly keen on the idea of traveling very far, not when he couldn’t even land his trademark jumps.

“Why don’t we go visit your family? We can enjoy the hotsprings and even squeeze in some practice time at the Ice Castle.”

Yuuri’s expressive brown eyes widened, and his expression warmed, “Victor.”

A huge, goofy smile stretched over his face before he could help it, in response to his sweetheart saying his name, “Yuuri,” he reached out, leaning in until their foreheads were touching and Yuuri’s breath was on his lips. “How does that sound?”

“That sounds so--” he paused, “Ack! I’m getting sauce on your shirt, hold on!” he said, setting his plate down, which Victor had accidently leaned right into.

Laughing, Victor set his next to Yuuri’s on the coffee table, saying, “I don’t care, just come here.”

“You’ll get it on me, too, you know how tomato sauce stains--”

“Tomorrow is laundry day anyway, Yuuri,” he breathed into his ear, pulling him down onto the couch on top of him anyway, “I’ll take care of it then.” He whispered, sprinkling affection over Yuuri’s forehead and brow.

“It  _ is _ your turn,” Yuuri laughed, falling into him.

“I’ll take every turn from now until forever if it means you’ll go on a vacation with me,” Victor murmured, pulling Yuuri as close as he could.

“Victor--” Yuuri breathed, his breath catching in his throat.

“Just say you’ll go, I’ll take care of everything, you won’t have to worry.”

“But--”

“Yuuri,” he placed a gently hand on Yuuri’s chin, lifting his face to meet his gaze squarely and deeply, “I’ll take care of everything, just say you’ll go.”

Yuuri closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he relaxed into Victor’s arms, “Alright.”

Victor’s heart fluttered in his chest as he tilted his head down to place his lips gently on Yuuri’s.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Victor settle in for a long flight to Japan.

“Victor,” Yuuri groaned, boarding pass in hand. “I can’t believe you paid for us to fly first class! I thought I told you coach was fine.”

Yuuri’s glasses were askew, and his knit hat sat rumpled on his head. Their flight from St. Petersburg was an early one, and despite the fact that Yuuri started packing a week ago and had gone as far as laying out his travel clothes the night before, he still appeared disheveled and exhausted from simply waking up before dawn. His habit of rising late in the day had bothered Victor to no end when they had first started living together, but he had grown to love this quality. While Yuuri slept late, Victor took time to enjoy a cup of coffee and catch up on reading or watching the local news, which had become valuable alone time. His favorite part of the morning was right before Yuuri dragged himself out of their bedroom, when Victor could sneak in with a cup of fresh coffee to spend a few moments kissing him awake while he stretched and curled on their messy bed.

Now he especially appreciated the way his long black hair curled around his ears and face, given that Yuuri had forgone brushing it in favor of being on time to their flight.

Victor tugged Yuuri’s hat farther over one ear and said, “I told you I would take care of it, I’ll just add the upgrade to your coaching fee.”

In the past, the threat would have made Yuuri go red in the face, sending him into a spiralling panic about his funds and resources. No he rolled his eyes and teasingly said, “I guess that means I’ll have to win  _ six _ championships instead of five now.”

“Yuuri!” Victor exclaimed, grabbing his hands as they waited in line to board, “I know you could if you wanted to!”

Yuuri blushed, looking away as Victor pulled his hands to his chest, “Victor, in six year’s I’ll be in my thirties, that’s ancient by skating standards.”

Pouting, Victor said, “Ahh, Yuuri, I’m almost thirty! But you don’t realize--”

A polite, but dry voice called their boarding group over the intercom, and Yuuri tugged Victor’s right hand to him towards the line. He smiled as their rings caught the florescent light of the airport at the same time. “I think I realize that you’re dreaming if you think I can win that many championships,” he said dryly.  _ Especially as the younger skaters continue to improve-- _ he swallowed, pushing the thought deep out of his mind. 

“Mm,” Victor hummed, wrapping his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders as they settled into their spot in line. “Ah, you’re right, I must be dreaming, going on a vacation with you would be too good to be true otherwise,” He pressed his chest against Yuuri’s back and breathed deeply, catching a familiar scent as he did, “Oh, have you been using my shampoo?”

Yuuri jumped and leaned away, but Victor held him close, “U-um--”

“Yuuri,” he said, drawing out the syllables for a long second. “What do you have to say for yourself?” 

“V-Victor,” he stuttered, the words warm on Yuuri’s ear, “S-sorry, I ran out last night and I didn’t think you would mind--”

“I do mind,” Victor said seriously, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “Do you know how you could make it up to me?”

Heat was rolling off of Yuuri by this point, and Victor was surprised the hadn’t melted into the ground. “H-how?”

“You can use it, but you have to let me wash your hair for you,” he said, while thinking,  _ That should do it. _

Yuuri tensed up, going bright red, “Victor-- the line is moving.”

“That it is,” Victor said, chuckling as he dropped his arms from Yuuri’s shoulders. Yuuri caught his hand and squeezed in quiet affirmation, unable to meet his gaze as they moved onto the plane. Victor felt a grin creep over his face as he watched Yuuri shuffle awkwardly down the aisle to their seats, his sports bag in one hand and the boarding pass in the other. He drew his own bag, a dark grey messenger bag, closer to his body to avoid bumping those already seated as he watched Yuuri squint to double check his seat number against the pale blue figures above each row. He turned to ask something and found Victor smiling broadly at him.

His features softened and his mouth lifted in a small, sweet smile that was tender enough to send a shiver down Victor’s spine. “Did you want the window seat, Vitya?”

_ This man is absolutely perfect, _ Victor thought, and smiling even more widely, he said, “It’s yours, Yuuri,”  _ In case you want to sleep. _

With a little shrug, Yuuri swung his backpack up and pushed it into the overhead compartment before sliding into the window seat on the left aisle. Victor grabbed his tablet and a pair of headphones from his bag before stowing it next to Yuuri’s pack. He ducked his head and plopped himself into the seat, placing his hand over Yuuri’s affectionately as he shifted into comfort. Yuuri leaned his shoulder in Victor’s in response before fishing his seat belt from between their seat cushions.

“Yuuri, I downloaded the next few episodes of that show we were watching in case you wanted to watch on the way,” he said, happily paging through his applications until he reached his video player.

“Oh,” Yuuri said, peering at the screen as Victor pulled up an episode, “We watched that one already?”

Puzzled, Victor scrolled up, “No, this was the last one we watched.”

“Ahh, we finished this one,” Yuuri said, pointing to one a few icons down from where Victor was. 

“I don’t remember that!” Victor said, reading the synopsis of the episode he thought they were to watch next.

Yuuri made a sound of realization, “That was the night you fell asleep on the couch,” blushing, he said, “I guess you fell asleep sooner than I thought, and I watched two or three without you.”

“W-without me?”

“I’m sorry!” Yuuri said quickly, pushing up the armrest and sliding his arm around Victor’s. “I’ll watch it again with you, so we can catch up together.” He glanced up, taking in the last few passengers making their way down the aisle to their seats. “We can watch right away, if you want,” He offered.

“I can’t believe you watched  _ three _ episodes without realizing that I had fallen asleep.”

Heat rose on the back of Yuuri’s neck, and a blush sprouted all the way to his hairline, “Well if I’m being totally honest I watched an entire one even though I knew you were asleep.”

“How could you!” Victor sent his tablet to sleep and leaned in close, “That is really cruel, Katsuki Yuuri.”

Yuuri grimaced, “I know, I know, but I was so hooked and you looked so--” he cut himself short, glancing away mid sentence.

“So--?” Victor prompted.

“Ack, I don’t know-- peaceful? Cute?” He mumbled, his blush growing more intense with every word.

“Cute?” Victor repeated, giddy, “Really?”

Yuuri scrunched up his shoulders and turned away in his seat, “Of course you are.”

Victor all but leapt from his seat, overwhelming Yuuri in a firm embrace, “Obviously the cute one here is you, I could ask anyone here.”

“Oh, please don’t,” Yuri said, stifling a laugh.

“Oh I think I will--” he responded, craning around in his seat to get someone’s attention.

“Victor! Cut it out, oh my god--”

Before he could successfully rope anyone into his teasing, the intercom sounded and a polite Russian voice filled the cabin. Relieved, Yuuri sank into his seat, placing a hand over his heart in an attempt to slow its pace. He glanced over at Victor, who caught his eye and winked before powering down his tablet.

The flight attendant finished his introduction as the plane began to come to life. It cruised down the runway, and Yuuri pushed the window shade all the way up so he could watch the tarmac blur past them during take off. The pit of his stomach sank as the plane lifted, and he slid hand into Victors, who leaned into him, “Excited?”

Yuuri shifted so that his forehead rested against Victor’s, “Very,” he said in slow, careful Russian, “Thank you.”

Thrilled, he replied with a simple, “You’re welcome,” in Japanese. Then in English, asked, “So you thank me properly by watching these two episodes with me before you fall asleep.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of earbuds, handing them to Yuuri to untangle as he slipped off his coat and stowed it under the seat in front of him. 

“I won’t fall asleep,” he said, shaking a knot loose and handing Victor the earbud marked with an “R.”

“Well if you do, I’ll wait for you before watching the next ones.” He smoothed his hair back, “How long do we usually have to wait to be able to use our electronics again?”

“Probably a few more minutes,” Yuuri said thoughtfully, watching St. Petersburg shrink behind them. 

“Ohh, but I’m so excited to see what happens next,” he said, checking his device.

Several minutes later, they reached cruising altitude and Victor quickly plugged the headphones in, firing up his device and hitting “play” before Yuuri could manage to set his half of the headphones straight. “Hold it a little higher,” he said, tilting the screen towards him.

Victor dropped his tray table and propped it up with its case, angling it towards Yuuri. “Better?”

“Yes, but can you see it?” he replied, glancing from Victor’s face to the little screen. 

“I’ll be fine,” he said, sliding down in his seat and angling his body so that he was leaning against Yuuri, who draped an arm around his shoulder. Yuuri, despite being shorter, was able to rest his cheek on the top of Victor’s head in this position, and at once he was grateful for the spacious first class rows. Content, they sank into the episode, and Yuuri was asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sincere thank you to the person that bookmarked my story. Whoever you are, you're the first person to ever do so, and you're my current #1. This chapter's for you, friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All things considered, the long flight to Japan was comfortable. All that remains is the train ride to Hasetsu.

“Do we pick up Makkachin here at the terminal, or at the baggage claim?” Yuuri asked as they exited their plane. He stretched to one side, letting both his and Victor’s bag swing in the process.

“Last time I picked him up at the baggage claim,” Victor said, leading their way through the terminal, towards the exit. “Do you want me to take my bag? I don’t mind carrying it,” he said, after seeing Yuuri almost bump into someone waiting in line for the terminal counter.

“I don’t mind,” Yuuri said quickly, “I can’t believe I slept the whole time, I feel like I need to make it up to you.”

Victor slowed just enough to fall in step with him and took his free hand, “You’ve been working so hard lately, you obviously needed the rest,” his expression was soft and open, “I don’t mind at all.”

“Ah, but you went to all the trouble of downloading those episodes and updating the games on your tablet,” Yuuri said, feeling self-conscious.

Squeezing his hand gently, Victor said, “We have the whole train ride to Hasetsu to play-- but let’s hurry, Makkachin is waiting for us!”

Reassured, Yuuri followed his lead to the baggage carousels. On the far side of the room, at the very end, a screen displayed their flight number in large red lettering. To the left of that screen, standing at the counter, was an attendant who was diligently scanning the crowd gathering around. 

“Can you take these for a minute?” Yuuri asked, shrugging their bags off his shoulder, “I have the ticket for Makkachin’s kennel in my pocket.”

“Of course!”

As they got closer, the brown plastic of Makkachin’s travel kennel appeared, safely tucked out of the way next to the attendant. She caught sight of them and smiled in greeting.

“Hello!” Yuuri said, trotting up to her, which caused Makkachin to whimper in excitement. “That’s our dog-- hi Makkachin! We’ll be home soon, promise,” Yuuri smoothed the crumpled ticket stub before handing it to the employee.

She matched the number’s on Yuuri’s piece to the sticker on top of the kennel. She handed it back to him, saying, “Thank you for flying with us! Enjoy your stay.”

“Ah, thank you,” he replied, then leaned over to open the wire door, which Makkachin was pawing frantically. Once it sprung open, the poodle bounded out and jumped onto Yuuri, which sent him completely to the ground. Laughing, he shooed the dog to Victor, who had crouched to Makkachin’s level.

“How was your flight, did you enjoy your treats?” Victor asked, scratching under Makkachin’s collar and rubbing his forehead against the dog. “Yes, I missed you too,” he said, laughing as Makkachin licked his entire cheek. “Ready to go back to Yutopia?” Victor glanced up to Yuuri, who quickly stuffed his phone in his pocket when Victor’s eyes met his. “What was that, just now?” he asked, puzzled.

The tops of Yuuri’s ears reddened, “I-I was just letting mom and Minako-sensei know that we landed.” 

_ Whenever he fibs, his ears go red and then he adjusts his glasses,  _ Victor thought, scratching Makkachin’s stomach and waiting. 

As if on cue, Yuuri adjusted his glasses. 

“I don’t believe you!” He stood quickly, leaving Makkachin to whine pitifully for more attention. Leaving their bags on the ground, he set his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders seriously. “Now Yuuri, as your coach, I’ll have you know that you can’t keep anything important from me.”

Yuuri’s blush deepened, but he snorted, “As my coach? Really?”

“Ok, Yuuri, I didn’t want to have to pull this card, but as your fianc é \--”

“It’s really nothing!” Yuuri crinkled up his nose, “I was just sending a snap to Phichit.”

“Oh! Of me? Did you save it?”

Turning beet red, Yuuri nodded, unable to speak.  _ Of course I saved it, I have an entire folder of your selfies and the ones we took together. _

Overwhelmed, Victor pulled him into a tight hug, “Show me later, ok?”

Yuuri circled his arms around Victor’s waist, nodding. “Later.”

Not wanting to be left out, Makkachin jumped up on them, pulling them back into the present.  They stayed for a second longer, then collected the kennel and their carryons before taking a spot next to the carousel, which had started churning out belongings a moment earlier.

“Is your mom or Minako-sensei coming to the train station to pick us up?”

“No, lately the hot spring has been so busy, I didn’t want my mom to leave while there are so many guests to attend to. And I told Minako-sensei that we would be fine on our own,” He peered up into Victor’s face, “I kind of wanted some extra time with you.”

_ I never imagined that something like that would make my heart skip a beat, but here we are. _ Victor thought to himself, “It makes me so happy to hear you say that.”

“Ah,” Yuuri hummed, glancing away as his blush deepened. “I'm glad.”

While they waited for their bags, they chatted about what they wanted to do first. Victor was pushing for a long dip in the hot spring, but Yuuri wanted to make time to go out to the shops.

“Aren't you looking forward to seeing your family?”

“I am, but they've been so busy lately,” he said thoughtfully, “There will be more time in the evening to spend time with them, after dinner.” He perked up, “There's our stuff, I'll be right back.”

Victor pursed his lips,  _ He seemed so excited about seeing his parents yesterday, why is he suddenly so hesitant?  _ A moment later, he had returned with their two bags, his much smaller one atop Victor’s densely packed rolling suitcase.

“Thanks, Yuuri,” he said, kissing him on the cheek before exchanging the sports bag for his suitcase. He went to reach for the kennel, but Yuuri beat him to it, sweeping it up with the rest of his things before breezily leading the way towards the door. 

Once on the train, Victor slid their belongings into a storage compartment before plopping  into a corner seat, patting the space next to him for Makkachin out of habit. The poodle eagerly clambered into the space next to him and put his paws on his lap to look out the window, tail wagging.

“Move over, Makkachin,” Yuuri quipped in good humor, gently crowding the seat until the dog made enough room for him to squeeze into the outermost spot, whining as Yuuri did so.

Victor leaned into the window, surprised by the pleasant discomfort of the close quarters. The first train ride to Hasetsu had been spacious, with enough room for him to stretch his legs out with Makkachin by his side, sleeping after a particularly turbulent flight.  _ I had been too anxious to rest, too nervous about boarding the wrong train, too excited to read on the way over, but now, _ his thoughts trained away as Yuuri turned an open palm to him, resting on Makkachin’s soft back. Content, he entwined his fingers with Yuuri’s and relaxed into it, trying not to think too deeply about the manifestation of Yuuri’s shy anxiety he had met upon their reunion.  _ The meeting he didn’t even recognize as a reunion _ , Victor added to himself drily. 

“Do you want to try that show again, or maybe we can go over some of the new choreography you worked up?” Yuuri asked, using his free hand to fish out his own pair of headphones, which were tied into a neat knot.

Victor reached over to help him untie them, “Let’s listen to that new album you told me about last week, you have it on your phone, don’t you?”

Yuuri brightened, his dark eyes widening in delight, “Yeah! The band is American, Phichit saw one of their shows in Detroit over the summer and recommended them to me. I haven’t listened to the whole thing yet.” He fished his phone out of his pocket and thumbed through the menus on his phone, queueing it up on his music player. 

The train ride passed quickly as they alternated between talking about new music, possible skating choreography, and the mild drama Yurio was constantly stirring up at the rink with Mila and the other skaters. Yuuri laughed when Victor suggested a particularly angsty and heavy song as an option for a future free skate program. “That’s a terrible idea!”

“No, no, Yuuri,” he said, unable to keep his voice steady over his laughter, “Trust me, if I designed the program you would definitely win.”

“I had a hard enough time figuring out how to best skate  _ Eros _ ! There’s no way I could skate to that,” he tapped on his phone quickly a few times, then held the screen up for Victor to see. “Look at these lyrics!  _ Alone I sit/ Dark shadows abound/ Drowning out all other sound/ feeling these torturous sentiments-- _ It’s so over the top.”

“But you mastered  _ Eros _ so beautifully,” Victor said wistfully, “You don’t think you could tap into something darker and grittier?”

Yuuri stared at him for a moment, “You’re not serious.”

His blank expression and flat voice was the last straw, and Victor snorted, erupting into a laugh as he sputtered, “Alright, I’m not serious, there’s no way you could skate something like that. And there’s no way I would ever let you.”

Warmth spread through his belly and up to the crown of his head as he watched Victor double over with laughter. “You know who would be good at something like this,” Yuuri said thoughtfully, watching his partner carefully.

Victor took a deep breath, as if ready to laugh or guess or regain some semblance of composure. Their eyes met, and a beat later they both said, “Georgi,” in unison, which sent them both into a laughing fit. 

“Oh--,” Victor was trying to catch his breath, shaking his head as he chuckled once more. “Georgi is nice enough but I find it almost impossible to take him seriously.”

“I  _ do  _ appreciate how candid he is with his feelings,” Yuuri said, with genuine feeling.

The thought sent Victor into another laughing fit, “Candid is one word for it.”

As their laughter faded, the train also began to slow until it was creeping into the station. A muffled voice sounded over the cabin intercom, and Victor was able to catch a few Japanese words indicating that they had made it to Hasetsu. He leaned over to pat Makkachin awake, “We made it, pup!”

They gathered up their things and shuffled into the aisles, where Yuuri paused to double check their seats. Victor smiled, knowing that while the chances of them leaving anything behind were slim, Yuuri would always look to be sure. 

When they reached the train platform, a tortured groan escaped Yuuri, and he turned quickly around, slapping a hand across Victor’s eyes as soon as his feet had hit the concrete platform. “Don’t look, I’ll lead you out.”

Victor pulled his hand away immediately, too curious to see what Yuuri was nervous about to listen, and was greeted with the spectacular sight of a larger-than-life, wall-to-wall promotional ad showing Yuuri skating with his silver Grand Prix Final medal. He let out a gasp, exclaiming, “These are even better than the posters of you from last spring!”

Turning fire-engine red, Yuuri hid his face in his hands. “I was hoping you missed those.”

Victor whipped around, in the middle of taking a burst of photos of the advert. “How could I have missed those? They were everywhere!” He pushed his hair out of his face and tilted his phone back to the wall, “I couldn’t have missed them, even if I  _ hadn’t  _ spent the entire day traveling halfway around the world to come be your coach.”

Yuuri made an agonized sound, his face burning even brighter as he willed himself to sink into the ground and disappear. “V-Victor--”

“Stand in front of it! They used such a good photo of you, Yuuri, let’s get a picture of both of us with this--” he interrupted, ushering a radiantly scarlet Yuuri under text that read “Pride of Hasetsu!” in bold English letters. 

“Please-- no--”

“Just one!” Victor begged, his eyes wide and pleading.

Yuuri had a zero success rate against those bright blues, and he begrudgingly mumbled that he would do it, prolonging Victor’s winning streak. 

Satisfied, Victor held his phone away from them, leaning over and pulling Yuuri close until they were both in frame with poster Yuuri visible behind them. “Cheese!” Victor announced, his own smile brilliant as he snapped a photo. Yuuri managed a sheepish grin beside him, still flushed from embarrassment.

Victor reviewed the photo, “I love it! I think I’ll have to post it--”

“Oh, god, no, please don’t, Victor-- please--”

“Ah!” he turned and roped Yuuri into a tight hug, unable to contain his pleasure, “I won’t post it anywhere if you really don’t want me to but I’m definitely framing it when we get home!”

“F-fine!” he stuttered in relief, “You can frame it and put it wherever, let’s just get moving,” he cast a sidelong glance at the poster.  _ And I thought it was bad last year _ , he thought with a shudder.

Pleased, Victor took one more picture of the wall before trailing after Yuuri. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I was visiting some friends over the long holiday weekend. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Victor arrive at Yutopia, where Yuuri begins to feel anxious about their decision to visit.

“Vicchan, welcome back!” Yuuri’s mother, Hiroko, greeted them at the door the moment they entered the lobby of Yutopia, round faced and smiling. Her sleeves were rolled past her elbows, and the dark apron she wore carried traces of flour.

“Katsuki-san!” Victor dropped his belongings to the side haphazardly, plopping them right in Yuuri’s path, making him stumble. 

“V-Victor--” he began to mumble a complaint, but it failed to make it past his lips when he saw his mother and fianc é in a warm hug. He straightened Victor’s messenger bag with his foot as he stood, watching them pull apart.

“Yuuri, welcome home,” she said, turning her attention to him, pulling him in for an equally enthusiastic embrace. “I made up your room for you two.”

Yuuri’s face went blank as the words settled between his ears, “My room… for us?” He had purposefully avoided having any conversation about Victor’s accommodations in hopes that they would somehow work themselves out.  _ Even though this is exactly what I wanted, I don’t want to think about Mom fixing up my room for  _ us.

Hiroko grinned, the rims of her glasses obscuring her eyes, “Sorry Yuuri, with how busy it has been lately we don’t have the extra room to spare,” she glanced at Victor, “I hope that’s alright, sorry for the inconvenience!”

Victor turned his head to look at Yuuri from over his shoulder, a self-satisfied smirk creeping over his features, “Oh, it’s no inconvenience,” he replied pleasantly.  

“Good!” Hiroko replied, “Why don’t you two get settled and rest for a while after your trip? I’m making beef curry tonight, so we can all eat together a little later.”

“Sure, we’ll go put our things away,” Yuuri replied timidly, gathering up all he could carry. His mother tilted her head happily and turned to answer the question of a guest in the other room. When his left foot hit the first step, a hollow voice in the back of his head asked,  _ Where did I leave those posters?  _ His second step was more forceful, since he uncertain about their location. He hurriedly pushed past Victor to scramble up the remaining stairs, almost tripping over his own feet as he bolted. He felt Victor follow closely behind, and booked it up the steps, his socked feet sliding as he dashed down the hallway to his room. “I have to check something, hold on!” he said, slipping in an slamming the door behind him. 

The walls were clear, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He had never put them back up after Victor’s arrival the previous year. He had half-expected his mom to have put them on the walls before their return, since they had papered his room since he had started skating. Yuuri pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk to see if they were there. He reached for the familiar stack as Victor opened the door, singing his name.

Yuuri was frozen to the spot, unable to prevent Victor from entering the room as he thumbed through the stack of posters in disbelief. 

“Ohh, Yuuri, did you find the notes I left you?” Victor’s voice was laced with laughter.

Each one bore Victor’s thickly embellished signature and a motivational or reassuring statement. Yuuri went pale as he read each one, unable to comprehend when Victor would have had the time to flip through each of the glossy sheets while they were rehearsing for the Grand Prix Final. “Victor… when--” Yuuri twisted his body around, hunched over the posters while managing to hold them out accusingly. “Where did you find these and why--”

Victor’s expression was open and innocent, “Yuuri,” he said brightly, tossing his things to one corner of the room before flopping onto the bed. “It’s my responsibility as your coach to know everything about you--”

Yuuri cut him off sharply, “I hid these! I can’t believe you went looking for them.”

A light blush scattered itself over Victor’s cheeks and he rummaged through his bag for his wallet, “If it makes you feel any better,” he said, flipping out a row of photos, “ I have plenty of pictures of you--” he started to point to one in particular, but stopped when he saw the expression on Yuuri’s face.

He held the stack close to his chest, careful to not crumple them while pulling them as close to his body as he could. His shoulders were tense, and his brows were drawn up, his mouth set in a firm line. The vulnerable set of his features made Victor’s thoughts grind to a halt. 

He tossed his wallet to the side with the rest of his things and knelt in front of Yuuri, gently placing a hand on his cheek. Yuuri looked away, keeping his eyes on the wall despite Victor’s seeking gaze. He murmured his name quietly, coaxingly, before saying, “I’m sorry that I went looking through your things.”

Yuuri met Victor’s steady gaze and waited.

With a sigh, he said, “I came in here once while you were with Minako-sensei, practicing, to find Makkachin. Your drawer was open, and I looked. It was before that day on the beach, and I snooped because I was frustrated that we weren’t closer. Part of me thought it would be a nice surprise, and another part of me saw these and wanted to force you to acknowledge me somehow.” He lowered his chin and rested his forehead against Yuuri’s tentatively, “I know it was a mistake, and I’m sorry.”

Yuuri took a shaky breath in and lowered the stack, setting it on the floor and pushing it out of sight. “Okay,” he said, “It’s okay,” he swallowed and put his hands on Victor’s wrists, bringing them close together, “If you had told me a year ago that I would have a dozen copies of Victor’s Nikiforov’s signature I would have keeled over in happiness. I don’t know why it’s bothering me so much right now.”

Victor hummed thoughtfully, running his thumb over Yuuri’s cheek and brushing his hair away from his eyes, “Is there something else on your mind? It seems like something has been bothering you since we left this morning.”

Laughing nervously he said, “Is it that obvious?”

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Victor asked, dropping his hands to get more comfortable. He crossed his legs on the floor and opened his palms to Yuuri, who took them in his hands. They still had their coats on, and the faraway din of guests’ chatter sealed them in their conversation.

Yuuri took a deep, focused breath, exhaling it purposefully. “Yes, ok.”

Victor waited, giving Yuuri the time and space to collect his thoughts, reminding him of his support with a gentle squeeze of the hand.

“I’ve been feeling a little nervous about visiting. At first I was really excited, but when I told mom she seemed excited, but also really distracted by all the guests,” Yuuri’s expression was apologetic, “Yuko mentioned in an email that business at the Ice Castle and here have been much busier than normal, ever since the Grand Prix Final. I know it’s a good thing, but…” his voice trailed away.

“Yuuri, you know that your family loves you, and that they’re proud of you. It may seem like the extra business is troublesome but you know as well as I do that it’s a good thing, and  _ you  _ did this,” Victor said, his tone reassuring, “Your talent and pride as a skater have inspired people to come see the springs and to see where you grew as an athlete. It’s really amazing, and I have no doubt that your parents are excited for you to see how well things are going here.”

The slightest blush began to rise to his cheeks, “T-thanks. I just worry. Last time I came home from being away my mom made katsudon, not beef curry. I was worried that the beef curry meant she was disappointed I didn’t win gold, or that she was disappointed in the exhibition--”

“Oh, Yuuri,” Victor leaned forward and gathered him up in his arms, pulling them into an awkward, but reassuring, sitting position on the floor, “Your mom was over the moon when you called her after the final! She couldn’t have been prouder, and as for the katsudon, maybe she’s saving it for a quieter evening, so we can all enjoy it without too much interruption?”

Yuuri inhaled, drawing in as much of the sweet outside air clinging to Victor’s coat as he could. It mixed with the clean smell of his aftershave and the familiar combination set him at ease. He took a longer breath and exhaled slowly, “You’re right. She always makes it, you’re right.”

“She’ll probably make it extra large, with double the amount of egg as usual,” Victor mused, pressing his cheek against Yuuri’s and rubbing his back. 

An uncertain laugh left Yuuri, and he tucked his head deeper into Victor’s shoulder, saying, “I hope so.” They sat this way for a moment, until Yuuri continued, “Some of the things you wrote on those posters are ridiculous.”

“I’m sorry,” Victor repeated, tightening their embrace.

“I like the one that says ‘You shine even brighter’ on that poster from one of your junior competitions,” he admitted, referencing a photo from an article titled ‘Russia’s Brightest Shining Star.’

Victor smiled and pulled away to look at him, keeping his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders. “It’s true.”

“I’m sorry I got upset over that. I really like them, I just got a little overwhelmed by everything,” he said sheepishly, looking away.

“It’s okay, are you feeling better?”

“A little,” he admitted, bringing one of Victor’s hands up to his cheek. He kissed his palm, then cradled it against his face.

“What else would make you feel better? Would you like to take a nap, or get a snack?”

Yuuri hummed contemplatively, “I don’t really want to go out, but a snack another episode of that show sounds good.”

“Okay!” Victor pecked him on the lips and made his way to his feet. He began to slip his coat off of his shoulders and said, “I’ll get the pillows and blankets ready on your bed. Do you want us to both go downstairs to get something to eat?”

Yuuri followed his lead, but took his coat to the closet instead of hanging it on the desk chair as Victor did. “Mari and my dad might be down in the kitchen, do you want to say hello?”

“Of course!”

They ran into Mari in the dining room as she was leaving the kitchen, and upon seeing them she squared up, almost as if blocking the door. “Welcome back, Yuuri, Victor,” she said formally.

“Hi Mari, how are you?” Victor said brightly, his eyes sparkling. Although they never spent much time together, Victor found her dry personality particularly amusing. 

“I’m fine,” she said blandly, “Do you need something from the kitchen?”

“Yeah, we wanted to get something to snack on before dinner,” Yuuri replied, taking a step forward.

“Well,” Mari didn’t move. “I told dad to pick up those seaweed chips you like, he got back a few minutes ago and is putting things away. Let me get him.”

“Oh, you don’t have to--” Yuuri said as she started to turn back to the kitchen.

She shot him a wordless, icy look only an older sibling could produce successfully, which rooted them both to the spot. She disappeared past the curtain, and a moment later, their dad emerged with an armful of snacks, ranging from Yuuri’s favorite childhood candy to things he didn’t recognize in the least.

“Welcome home, Yuuri! It’s great to see you, Victor,” Toshiya hugged them both, crushing some of the snacks in the process. “Oh, sorry! Mari said that you might want some of these?”

“Yes!” Victor said brightly, taking a few vividly-colored bags and packages in appreciation, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” he smiled broadly, “And I wanted to say that we all really enjoyed your exhibition. You’re both so talented.”

Yuuri blushed and mumbled a thank you, and out of sheer gratitude for Toshiya’s approval and pride, Victor embraced him again. “We had so much fun preparing that program. We’re looking forward to doing more routines together!”

“Good, we can’t wait to see them,” he replied, laughing and patting Victor on the back. “Dinner should be ready in about an hour, and Hiroko or I will come up to let you know.”

“Thanks, dad,” Yuuri said, “We’ll be upstairs.”

Back in Yuuri’s room, snacks surrounding them, they propped themselves up on pillows, using Yuuri’s downy comforter to cover themselves. With the lights off, the delicate light from Victor’s tablet didn’t make it past their intimate circle. Before starting the episode Victor asked Yuuri a few questions on the previous episodes, which turned into a soft argument over the motivations of one of the characters,  which in turn lead to them looking up fan theories online. Before they knew it, there was a knock at their door letting them know that dinner was ready, and they hadn’t even started the episode.

“It’s just not meant to be!” Victor lamented, sending the tablet to sleep.

Placing a soft kiss on his cheek, Yuuri replied, “I promise we’ll catch up on this season soon.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Victor said, rolling over on top of Yuuri, crushing him in a hug overwhelming enough to make Yuuri gasp.

“I promise!” he said again, pushing on Victor without much real effort.

Several minutes later, they were downstairs at the table with Yuuri’s family and Minako, who had come over with a bottle of sake and a laundry list of things she loved about Yuuri and Victor’s pairskate. “ _ Yuuri _ ,” she said emphatically, “Your costume was so beautiful, the blue really suited you, and I  _ loved _ the way the light caught your costumes and changed with the music…” she sighed, “I’m so proud of you, Yuuri, I knew you would make it to the podium. I’m so glad I was there to see it in person!”

“I’m glad you were there too, Minako-sensei,” Yuuri said, blushing into his plate, “Thank you for supporting me.”

They spent the rest of the meal catching up on Hasetsu news and enjoying Mari’s sarcastic retellings of Yutopia visitor interactions. Since business had picked up after the Grand Prix Final, there had been an upswing in international guests, who all had different expectations and needs, all of which Mari took issue with. Hiroko and Toshiya exchanged a knowing look when Mari continued onto a rant about a particularly needy female guest that had passed through several weeks ago.

Feeling the lingering ache of his anxiety slipping away, Yuuri smiled, clearing his plate and accepting when Victor offered to serve him another. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for all the cavities this sugary fluff will give you.

Victor sat on the floor, with his back against the bed with Yuuri’s legs on either side of him. From the bed, Yuuri was drying Victor’s hair,  gently squeezing the excess water from the longest parts and tenderly catching the beads dripping onto his shoulders. Victor sat with his hands folded in his lap, eyes closed as he leaned into the towel. Yuuri patted dry the expanse of his shoulders and draped the towel over his head, leaning over to peer into his face as he did so.

His head was tilted forward, and there was a content lift to his lips. The loosely tied robe he had fallen open, leaving his chest open to the air.  Yuuri leaned a little farther, one hand keeping the towel in place, the other reaching down to stretch across Victor’s collar. His skin was warm and soft from their time spent in the bath, and he sighed in response to the contact. His hands unfolded from his lap and he placed them loosely on the outsides of Yuuri’s ankles, where his thumbs made slow, lazy circles.  

Yuuri had felt nervous about dipping into the onsen with Victor after dinner, feeling somewhat shy and embarrassed knowing that his parents had not only seen their televised kiss and matching rings, but had put them in Yuuri’s room, with Yuuri’s one bed. Victor had coaxed him into joining him, as he managed to do with most things, and it went fine. There were no knowing or conspiratory looks as they headed through the lobby with their robes and towels, which he had almost expected.

Now alone, Yuuri felt utterly relaxed. The exhaustion from the long flight and his internal anxiety had left him feeling drained and emotional before dinner, but now he felt it leaching away wherever his skin was in contact with Victor’s. He brushed Victor’s bangs and the edge of the towel away from his face and gently lifted Victor’s chin towards him.

He followed the motion willingly, letting himself be guided into the kiss, sighing when their lips met.  He hummed when Yuuri pulled away, murmuring his name.

Yuuri slid his hands up Victor’s chest and neck to rest on his cheeks, which wore the faintest traces of a blush. “Are you feeling sleepy, Vitya?” he asked quietly, loving the way the warm light of the lamp caught the blue of his eyes as they opened to meet his gaze.

“A little,” he replied, pressing his cheek to Yuuri’s leg.

“Would you like to go to bed?”

“More than anything.”

“Ahh, come on,” Yuuri tugged the towel from Victor’s head and stood, walking to hang it over his closet door, Victor protesting as he moved them both. Sending a bemused look over his shoulder, Yuuri slipped his robe from his shoulders before folding it in half and placing it over his desk chair. Victor watched from the floor as Yuuri went to his bag to fish out a fresh pair of briefs to sleep in. 

Victor sighed in disapproval, which earned him a playfully dirty look from Yuuri, who left his bag open on the floor before sidling back to the bed. He kicked down the covers, taking the spot closer to the wall, and gestured for Victor to join him.

He dropped his robe almost immediately, leaving it where it fell, and slipped under the covers to press himself up against Yuuri. He pulled a pillow onto Yuuri’s shoulder and rested his head there, getting close enough to press his lips against the soft spot below Yuuri’s jaw. Victor curled around him, and Yuuri circled his arms around him to pull him even closer. They each let out a long, contented sigh. 

“Is there anything you’d like to do tomorrow, Yuuri?” Victor asked, his breath warm on Yuuri’s neck. 

“Not particularly, is there anything you want to do?”

“I’d like to go to the beach with you and Makkachin.”

“Do you want to go out to eat for dinner? Maybe to that ramen place you like?” Yuuri asked, pressing his lips to the top of Victor’s head.

“Let’s go have ramen for lunch, I think your family is expecting us for dinner.”

“Oh, did they say so?” he asked, thinking back to dinner, unable to remember that part of the conversation.

“Your mom mentioned it,” he said, yawning.

“Alright, then we’ll do beach and ramen with Makkachin before dinner here.”

Victor hummed in affirmation and angled his face to Yuuri, who obliged him with a long, gentle kiss, open mouthed and inviting. A sound of soft pleasure escaped him, and he traced the curve of Yuuri’s hip with one hand, beckoning him closer.

The upwelling of another yawn drew Victor away, making his eyes water. Yuuri chuckled, letting his fingertips play out across Victor’s cheek, jaw, and neck. “Let’s get some sleep,” he murmured, kissing his forehead.

Victor reached over and took Yuuri’s hand, bringing it between them. “I love you.”

“I love you, Victor,” he said softly, hearing as Victor’s breath began to deepen and slow. He adjusted himself slightly, unwilling to disturb his fianc é’s sleep but feeling slightly cramped on the narrow bed.

He settled into position and closed his eyes, focusing on Victor’s warmth and presence as he slipped away.

 

The sunlight cresting through the gap in the curtain’s and a tense kink in his neck pulled Yuuri out of his slumber. His eyelids felt heavy when he tried to open them, and they refused to stay open. He blinked, glancing at Victor, who was awake and browsing his phone with one hand while the other rested on Yuuri’s stomach.

When he noticed Yuuri stirring, he perked up and stuff the phone under the pillow. He kissed Yuuri on the cheek, “Good morning, Yuuri.”

“Vitya,” Yuuri mumbled and drew the covers over his head. “I’m not ready for the morning.”

Victor chuckled and pulled the blankets higher until they were both underneath, and trailed his hand along Yuuri’s side. He skirted over the small of Yuuri’s back, which always made him shiver. “Go ahead and sleep for a few more minutes.”

“I would but you’re hogging the bed again,” he grumbled, turning his face into the pillow. The muscles in his neck stretched pleasantly, and he knew that the discomfort was a result of the small bed and Victor’s ability to siphon real estate throughout the night.

Victor scooting close enough to rest his cheek on top of Yuuri’s, “Is that better?”

Yuuri groaned, too sleepy to do much but pull Victor’s body into his own. 

They laid close like that for a while, until Victor felt him unwind and melt into the embrace. He had drifted to sleep again, as he did most mornings. Victor scooted back, moving carefully to not disturb him, and tucked the covers around their shoulders instead of over their heads, so he could watch the quiet expression on Yuuri’s face. A little while later, Yuuri rolled to his other side, and Victor sidled up to his back to spoon him, draping his arm around Yuuri and tucking his hand close to his steady heart.

Almost an hour later, after Victor himself had dozed off, Yuuri stirred again, his eyes now opening without effort. Makkachin, who had spent the evening soaking up attention from the guests downstairs, was pawing at the door. They had left it open a crack so he could come in if he wanted to, but Yuuri figured that Mari had brought him to her room when she had gone to bed.

Makkachin approached the bed and rested his head on the edge, staring at them. Yuuri couldn’t see him from where he was, but could hear the beginnings of a whine emanating from the dog.

“Okay, Makkachin, okay,” Yuuri whispered, untangling himself from Victor, who made a small, sleepy sound when Yuuri sat upright.

Yuuri leaned over Victor to pat Makkachin’s head. “Do you want to go outside?” the dog perked up considerably and put his front paws on the bed. “What about the beach, Makkachin?”

The poodle whined in excitement and launched himself onto the bed, getting between them and covering them both with sloppy affection. 

Startled, Victor laughed, pulling the dog down onto the mattress to his level, where he was greeted with an additional lick to the face. “Alright, alright, we’ll go,” he said breathlessly. 

The beach was mostly empty, the overcast sky and cool breeze keeping the majority of people away. Victor and Yuuri walked lazily along the shore, hand in hand while Makkachin ran ahead, chasing gulls.

Victor glanced out over the water, tracing the ridges of the distant islands with his eyes. In a thoughtful tone, he asked if Yuuri remembered the day they were out, watching the weather roll over the islands in the early weeks of Victor’s visit.

Yuuri blushed, looking out over the water, “I remember,” he said, after a long sigh, he continued, “That was the day you asked me what I wanted you to be for me. I was feeling so guilty about pushing you away, but you know that already. Why do you ask?”

Victor squeezed his hand reassuringly, “I do know, but I was thinking about it because that was the moment we ended up on the same page,” looked ahead, to where Makkachin was digging in the wet sand. “I really started to know you then and I felt so excited to see the real you, to experience the way you perceived me and how you approached those around you. Of course, I was still a little confused about why you would ask me to be your coach, and then push me away so much…” his tone had turned teasing, and Yuuri was blushing furiously into the folds of his scarf. 

“I’m still so embarrassed-” he started.

“Don’t be,” Victor paused and turned to Yuuri holding both of his hands close, his voice now tender, “It’s what brought us together, to this moment,” he pressed his forehead against Yuuri’s, “And that’s what I was thinking about: all the things that had to happen that got us here. All the things we’ve experienced and shared,” he murmured, bringing Yuuri’s right hand to his lips, where he laid a deliberate kiss on the gold band he wore. “I’m so excited for all the things to come.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri experiences some anxiety after their walk on the beach.

Victor reclined on the bed and watched Yuuri as he moved around the room, putting things away and throwing things in the hamper as needed. As he watched, his phone vibrated and he glanced at it, thumbing open the text message before sending off a quick response. He glanced back to Yuuri, whose shoulders were set in an easy slope, his lips lifted in an easy smile.

Yuuri felt Victor’s steady gaze and paused in his task, turning to him, “What?”

Smiling broadly, he replied, “I was just admiring how relaxed you seem. I think the time off of the ice has been good for you.”

He sighed and glanced down at the sweater he was in the process of folding, “You think so? I know it's only been a few days but I've been feeling a little guilty about not practicing.”

“Resting is just as important as rehearsing,” Victor said sagely.

Yuuri shot him an incredulous look, “You only ever say that when you're trying to get out of practicing with Yakov.”

Laughing, he said, “Well I would never try to get out of practice with you. Let's go to Ice Castle tomorrow.”

Yuuri’s expression warmed, “Okay, I'll let Yuko know that we'll be by.”

Victor hummed in approval and stretched on the bed, “Come here for a moment.”

“I’m still a little sandy from the beach,” he protested, even as he stood.

Victor smoothed the comforter over the bed, “There, now any sand will just be on top.”

With an exaggerated sigh, Yuuri sat next to him and leaned against the headrest, allowing Victor to put his head in Yuuri’s lap. He put one hand on Victor’s shoulder and played with his hair in the other, savoring the way it slipped through his fingers. After a long, comfortable moment, he said thoughtfully, “Thank you for arranging this.”

Victor placed a warm hand on Yuuri’s knee and said, “I wanted to.”

Tilting his head back against the wall, Yuuri looked to the ceiling, “Every time I come back, I forget how much I’ve missed it here. I didn’t come home at all while I was training in Detroit, and even though I know we couldn’t have afforded it, I still regretted not coming home.”

He squeezed Yuuri’s knee to let him know he was there and listening. “Do you feel like you let them down by not coming home?”

Pushing a steady stream of air from his lips, he replied, “In a way. In my head, I _know_ that I wasn’t. And in my head, I know that my parents wanted me to get a good education and study with a good coach, but I still _feel_ like I let them down somehow. I missed birthdays, holidays, when Mari brought home partners,” his voice trailed away.  “I guess I’ve always felt like I can’t support them in the same way that they support me.”

Turning over so that he was looking up at Yuuri, Victor reached up to place one hand gently on his cheek. “I don’t think that they would see it that way at all, Yuuri. I think that when your parents reflect on your time overseas they see it as you following your passions, even though it meant that you sacrificed being comfortable at home.”

“But that’s the thing, I sacrificed my family to be selfish.”

“Oh, Yuuri,” Victor now sat up to face him squarely, pulling Yuuri’s hands into his own. “You didn’t sacrifice your family, you still have them. Even now, when you’re busy with practice and the time difference makes it almost impossible for you to have time to call, you still make the time.” He paused, thoughtfully watching Yuuri’s troubled features, “Do you feel like you are being selfish by being in Russia now, the way you felt when you were in the US?” Yuuri looked down and away, his eyebrows drawing together. _There it is, the real reason Yuuri has been having a difficult time in the rink_ , Victor thought, waiting.

“Yes,” he answered, his voice small.

“Why?”

Yuuri met his eyes, allowing Victor to read the depth of his feelings. His dark gaze, framed by blue-rimmed glasses, was wide and expressive. Over the course of their year together, Victor had gotten better and better at reading the truth of Yuuri’s emotions through his eyes, which were now shining with a forlorn mixture of guilt and sadness. His body language was almost always easy to decipher, but rarely exposed the complex layering of thought he experienced beneath his anxious exterior. He watched, waiting as Yuuri mentally shuffled through the things he wanted to say. He had learned that it was better to wait instead of following up with any more questions.

“I don’t really know how to say this without it sounding wrong?” His tone was unsure, questioning, as if he were asking for permission.

“You can tell me,” he reassured and added lightly, “I’ll try not to take it personally.”

Yuuri dropped his eyes to the space between them on the bed, and Victor realized that he had said the wrong thing. He opened his lips to form an apology, but Yuuri went on to say, “That’s it, though. Choosing you and skating in Russia makes me the _most_ selfish.”

“You’re allowed to be selfish,” he said, lifting a hand to tilt Yuuri’s face back to him. “It’s not selfish to do the things that make you happy, to follow your passion.”

“Yeah, but—”

Interrupting, he said, “Think of it this way instead, Yuuri. You being in Russia, living with me, skating with me as my student and my partner, is a way of you taking care of both of us. We both know what we want, and that’s for the other to stay in skating, and really just to stay on the ice together. Russia makes the most sense, right?”

He nodded, his lips in a thin line as he listened.

“And we don’t have to stay there year round,” he continued, “We can visit as often as you’d like, or we can spend the quieter part of the season here.”

“Ah, we can’t do that, you can’t miss out on that training time—”

Victor smiled at him, “See?” He took one of Yuuri’s hands and brought it to his lips, kissing each knuckle. “You’re so selfless, Yuuri, even though you don’t see yourself that way,” he pressed his lips to the back of his hand and said, “Let’s make a point of visiting often. Once a month? Every other month?”

“That’s way too much! We can’t spend that much just for me to come hang out here.”

“If it makes you happy, I _want_ to spend that much, you know that sort of thing doesn’t bother me.”

Yuuri rolled his shoulders, bunching them up before letting them drop again, knowing that there was no arguing with Victor when it came to spending. “Fine,” he submitted, “Once a month is still too much. The travel time alone eats up an entire weekend.”

“We can figure out exactly how often is best later, but I want you to know that _it’s okay_ to want things like this, it’s normal to want to be home, and it’s normal to _not_ want to be home in order to do the things you love.”

Yuuri sighed, leaning forward until his head was on Victor’s shoulder, “I know you’re right,” he mumbled.

“But do you feel it?” he pressed, though he already knew the answer.

“I will, soon, I think.”

“I’ll keep reminding you.”

“I know you will,” he said, turning his head to give him one of those tender, admiring looks that never failed to send warmth through Victor’s entire being.

He dipped his head, and Yuuri adjusted, meeting him halfway for a kiss. He felt Yuuri’s arms move around him, pulling them closer together. In response, he lifted one hand to Yuuri’s head, running his fingers up from the nape of his neck and through his windswept hair. Yuuri deepened their kiss, opening his lips and splaying his hands across Victor’s back.

Victor’s eyes fluttered open for an instant, drinking in the snapshot of Yuuri’s closed eyes, ruffled hair, and strong shoulders leaning into him. The fresh ocean air from the beach clung to his skin, and that sweetness mixed with the heat of his breath made for a heady combination. Victor dropped his hand from Yuuri’s hair, breathing deeply and letting his fingers follow the curve of Yuuri’s back to the hem of his shirt. He rubbed the material between his thumb and forefinger, savoring the sensation of Yuuri’s hands on his lower back, pulling him farther, until Yuuri was leaning back against the headrest and Victor was pressed into him, the planes of their bodies parallel.

He tilted his head and leaned forward, taking control of the kiss as their tongues met. He decidedly lifted the hem of the shirt and let his hands wander over Yuuri’s bare side, barely grazing the spot that made him shiver. Victor was rewarded with a shudder and repeated the motion before running his hands up to rest between Yuuri’s shoulder blades, making the shirt rise as Yuuri arched to make room for his touch. He grabbed the lifted hem and made to pull it over Yuuri’s head.

With a small, startled sound, Yuuri broke away, letting his hands fall to rest on Victor’s hips, “Wait.”

Victor let go and peered into Yuuri’s face, their noses almost touching. His cheeks were flushed and there was wanting tilt to his mouth, and the sight of his parted lips only made Victor want to lean in again, to press their lips together and to pull him down on to the bed. Instead of following that line of thinking any further, he said, “Yes?”

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t really feel all that comfortable— it’s my parent’s house and they’re downstairs…”

“It’s okay,” Victor said, quickly planting a quick kiss on Yuuri’s cheek, “I understand. We don’t have to.”

“Thanks for understanding,” he said, obviously relieved, “Maybe tonight?” he offered.

Running his hands up from Yuuri’s waist to his shoulders, over the shirt this time, and then down his arms, he said, “Yes, but only if you feel comfortable.”

“Okay,” he said, even though he knew that everything in their relationship was built on that comfort and consent. “This might not be the best idea, but did you want to take a bath before dinner?”

Victor felt heat rise to his neck and ears, “Are you trying to torture me, Yuuri Katsuki?” He grabbed him quickly, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and pulling them backwards onto the bed, to that their legs entwined and tangled on the sheets. “If we take a bath now I think don’t think I would be able to keep my hands off of you,” he said playfully, enjoying the feeling of Yuuri’s weight pressing close to him.

“I know, I know,” he responded, laughing, “That’s why I said it might not be the best idea!” He planted a huge kiss on Victor’s cheek and set about untangling himself from the embrace.

“But I do want to,” he said, pulling Yuuri back down, keeping him from sitting upright, “I want to wash your back and see you with your hair wet—”

Yuuri squirmed against him, struggling to plant his hands on the bed to lift himself, “You’re out of control!” When he couldn’t get his arms in the right position, he let himself sink into Victor where he was able to position himself to rest his hands on Victor’s sides threateningly. As if sensing the coming attack, Victor stiffened, which only made Yuuri grab into his sides, tickling him remorselessly.

Victor made a sound that seemed like the  combination of a gasp and a laugh, and he released the lock he had around Yuuri’s shoulders, pushing against him in an attempt to angle himself into a position to deliver a counterattack.

“Nope!” Yuuri clamped his arms to his sides and inched farther down, keeping himself out of Victor’s reach while he still grabbed at Victor’s most ticklish spots, his sides and the backs of his knees.

“S-stop—” he gasped, laughing. He managed to grab one of Yuuri’s wrists, stopping the assault on his left side momentarily. He drew his legs up, trying to limit Yuuri’s purchase on the soft spot behind his knees.

“Okay, okay,” Yuuri let his hands glide over Victor’s legs and he sat up, pulling the hem of Victor’s pant legs into place. “So we’ll hold off on the bath for a little while, do you want to go downstairs and see what my family is up to?”

Breathless, Victor relaxed into the bed, resting his arms above his head as his heart slowed, “That sounds wonderful,” he said, then added, “Just, give me a moment.”

With a smirk, Yuuri crawled over Victor to kiss his cheek before leaving the bed. He brushed a few grains of sand from the comforter, unable to really be bothered by it.

Victor placed one hand over his heart, willing it to return to a pace he could call normal.

Minutes later, they were in Yuuri’s room again, slipping their coats back over their shoulders. Mari had caught them making their way to the kitchen and had promptly kicked them out of the house, telling them not to come back until dinner.

“I don’t know what her deal is,” Yuuri grumbled, wrapping his scarf around his neck.

Victor hid a smile as he stooped to the ground to pull his socks back into place. “Why don’t we check out the ninja house again, or get a cup of tea?”

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully and they began to make their way out of the room, “There is this cute tea shop not too far from the ninja house. There are also more tourist shops in that area, besides the ones you’ve already seen.”

“That sounds great! Maybe we can pick up a few souvenirs.”

Yuuri blushed at the idea of buying souvenirs from his hometown, but was also keen on the opportunity to get a gift for Victor, “Yeah, we can definitely look around at the shops.”

At the doorway, Victor called out to Makkachin as he slipped his shoes back onto his feet. The dog didn’t come from the dining room, so Victor opened the door and tried again, this time being greeted by a damp, snow-covered poodle.

Grinning, Yuuri followed them out, tugging his hat into place. “Do you want to stop for tea or look at the shops first?”

Victor and Makkachin turned to look at him, their breath rising from them like thin white smoke, “The shops! We can warm up with tea after.”

“Perfect,” Yuuri breathed, his cheeks turning pink as he watched Makkachin and Victor trot down the steps to the sidewalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't bring myself to write anything sexy. It's like writing about my friends making out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their day out and about, Victor and Yuuri return to Yutopia to be greeted with a surprise party.

“Surprise!” a chorus of voices greeted Yuuri and Victor as they parted the curtains to the dining room upon their return. Makkachin barked excitedly at the commotion and dived into the room ahead of them, full of energy at the prospect of more attention from new people.

Stunned, Yuuri let the draping fall from his hands and he turned around, walking into Victor in the process and almost dropping the bag of souvenirs they picked for themselves and for Yurio. Laughing, Victor took him by the shoulders and turned him back around, steering him towards the full dining room, where he was greeted with the eager faces of his loved ones.

Yuuri, whose face began to redden, allowed himself to be propelled back into the room, which was decorated with balloons, streamers, and banners with both English and Japanese text. Things like “party” and “happy birthday” hung in shining bubble letters below the clusters of balloons. The smell of freshly cooked rice and the unmistakable presence of katsudon reached his nose, and he looked to his mom, asking, “W-what is this?”

Minako-sensei bounded over to him, gracefully hopping over pile of gifts at the edge of table in the center of the room, “There is so much we want to celebrate!”she said, pulling him into a tight hug, “Your silver medal win, your exhibition, both of your birthdays,” she looked between them, adding under her breath, “Your  _ engagement _ .”

Heat shot from Yuuri’s toes to his scalp and he was unable to respond, but Victor jumped to his rescue, “Minako-sensei, I didn’t know you were including my birthday in this celebration!”

Yuuri turned his eyes to him, utterly confused, “Wait, you mean you knew about the rest of it?”

“Of course he did,” Mari replied levelly, “Come in and sit down, don’t you want some katsudon?” she gestured to the spread of food on the table, which included so much more than just Yuuri’s favorite meal. He saw some of Victor’s favorites sprinkled across the table as well, among gleaming packages of Japanese snacks.

Blinking back the emotion welling up in his chest, Yuuri nodded, choosing a seat between Minako and Minami, who was gazing at him with unfettered adoration. “Yuuri-kun! Happy birthday and congratulations!” he greeted, his brown eyes huge.

“Thank you!” he responded quickly, as Victor took a seat on his other side, “It’s nice to see you!”

Minami looked pleased enough to keel over in that very moment, but stopped himself, “You remember Hikaru-kun and Yuuto-kun, don’t you, Yuuri-kun?” he asked, gesturing to the two young skaters when he said their names.

“O-of course!” Yuuri stuttered, “It’s nice to see you both again, thank you for being here!”

Victor smiled, grabbing a plate for Yuuri as he chatted amiably with Minako on his left.

“We wouldn’t have missed it, Yuuri-senpai!” blurted Hikaru, who was leaning into Minami, his short hair framing his young face.

If Yuuri could have gone any redder, he would have at the younger skater’s use of the “senpai” honorific. He gratefully accepted a plate from Victor, as it would give him something else to focus on besides being the center of attention and the target of a multitude of questions from the younger competitors.

His parents beamed at him from across the table, and Hiroko mentioned that she made the katsudon with extra large for the occassion. 

Yuuko and Takeshi Nishigori sat together, whispering to the triplets, who ran over to Yuuri and Victor as soon as Yuuri had taken a bite of his katsudon, which was even more delicious than he remembered. Axel, Lutz, and Loop approached Victor and Yuuri with a stack of photos and promotional materials that were released in anticipation of Yuuri’s exhibit. Among them was a postcard-sized photo of the mural plastered on the wall at the train station. They asked for signatures as they babbled about the evolution of Yuuri’s routines and the way they had adapted Victor’s free skate program into a pair skate routine.

“Was Yuuri really heavy and hard to lift?” Axel asked as Victor was mid-signature. He snorted and glanced at Yuuri, who was almost overloaded with the attention from Minami and the other two as they asked him all about the skaters he shared a rink with in Russia.

“I was just too out of shape after not competing! It was easy to do after some practice,” he said, sending Yuuri a knowing smile. He could have sworn steam was coming out of his  fiancé’s ears at the subtle reference to their more intimate rehearsals.

Loop was thumbing through her phone, bringing up stills from the routine to ask about as she deconstructed every moment of the Grand Prix Final. Yuuri watched her for a moment, then turned to answer a question from one of the other Japanese skaters, unable to willingly listen to her commentary on his routine compared to the others’.

Victor leaned in close to the triplets, whose company he had always enjoyed, and put on his best greet-the-fans smile, “I just wanted to say thank you again for uploading that video. Yuuri never would have been able to skate like that if he had known someone besides Yuuko-chan was watching.”

“We know!” they chimed in unison, “Yuuri doesn’t realize,” said Lutz, “but we sneak into a ton of his private practices!” finished Axel.

Laughing richly, Victor returned their papers to them and brought the three into a hug, “I don’t blame you! He’s an amazing skater. He learned my championship free skate program without a coach to help him! I don’t think anyone else on earth would be able to do that.”

“We know!” they said again, before launching into praising the parts of Yuuri’s routines they enjoyed best, which Victor excitedly supplied with more commentary and information.

Yuuri hunched his shoulders and tried to ignore Victor’s gushing about their rehearsals, but found Minami and the other young skaters having a similar conversation. When Minami caught wind of Victor talking about how Yuuri’s endurance was better than his own, he dropped his conversation mid sentence to crawl closer to Victor. Victor, since his last visit to Hasetsu, had picked up enough Japanese to be able to answer simple questions and sprinkle it into his English storytelling, which the triplets and the younger skaters were able to understand, at least. Mortification began to creep across Yuuri’s features when he heard Victor talking about Yuuri learning conversational Russian and all of the errors in translation they had both experienced in trying to pick up the other’s mother language.

Victor was just launching into a story about how Yurio had taught Yuuri some Russian curse words instead of common pleasantries. Yuuri tightened up, reliving the embarrassment that followed when he had tried to greet one of the Russian skaters he didn’t know as well with the phrases Yurio had taught him. Yuuko saw Yuuri’s longsuffering expression and moved closer, taking the space the other skaters had vacated as they crowded around Victor, who was glowing as he talked about Yuuri. 

“Yuuko-chan, I was going to message you tonight about coming to skate tomorrow,” he said, making room for her before taking a nervous bite of his food. 

She smiled, patting him on the shoulder, “You know you’re always welcome, it’s the least we can do.”

If Yuuri could have blushed any harder, he would have, but he could still hear Victor behind him, now talking about his move to Russia. “I expected Yuuri to pack light but I was really wrong!” he overheard.

“Thank you,” he said shyly, resting his chopsticks against his bowl. “My parents said that Yutopia has been really busy since the final, is Ice Castle seeing a lot of new skaters?”

Her face brightened and she said, “Yes! This time last year we had three beginners in our youth class, and now we have almost fifteen! There are plenty of people coming by for the adult classes, too,” she looked to Takeshi, who nodded in affirmation. “Almost everyone who has come to Ice Castle recently has asked about you.”

Takeshi grinned, “It’s true, everyone wants to know if Japan’s best skater  _ really _ grew up skating at our rink. When they find out, they always look so blown away.”

“Wow,” Yuuri said softly, looking down into his plate, feeling rather blown away himself.

“Has everyone gotten their first plate? Who needs a drink?” Toshiya asked, having returned from the kitchen with several glasses in one hand and a pitcher of beer in the other.

Horrified, Yuuri stared at his father, who was now pouring him a very tall glass of Sapporo. “Dad, I don’t really—”

“Just one, Yuuri!” he insisted, before moving onto to Yuuko and Takeshi. Yuuko politely declined, but Takeshi gladly took a glass for himself before Toshiya moved around the table, skipping the younger skaters but being sure to give Victor a tall one as he passed by.

Victor caught Yuuri’s eye and raised his glass, winking as he did so. Yuuri weakly raised his own in response, thinking to himself,  _ If I just have one, I won’t do anything humiliating.  _

The chatter quieted for a moment as everyone finished serving themselves and enjoyed the spread of foods that Hiroko, Toshiya, and Mari had prepared. Compliments went around the table, making Yuuri’s parents beam with pleasure. After a moment, Minako took her glass and raised it, clearing her throat.

“Yuuri, we are all  _ so _ proud of the progress that you have made this season. We all knew that you are hardworking and talented, but we’re so excited to see that the rest of the world knows it now, too. Congratulations on your silver medal, and your successful exhibition. We can’t wait to see what you and Victor do next.”

Everyone raised their glasses, even the younger guests, who had soda or fruit juice to go with their meal, and shouted an emphatic “Cheers!” to Minako’s toast.

Mari jumped in next, saying, “We also wanted to make sure to celebrate your birthdays, since you were both away and competing, so happy birthday to both you and Victor.”

Victor scooted closer to Yuuri and pulled him close as the rest of the room added birthday greetings to their toast. The smile spread across his face couldn’t get any wider, and Victor looked around the room, feeling appreciative and happy and welcomed and loved. The dim, comfortable light of the dining room made the space feel cozy, and he could see homemade signs on the walls, the design touch of the triplets evident. The whole thing had him feeling almost overwhelmed, and he squeezed Yuuri even closer to let those positive feelings slip through him to Yuuri.

Glancing up shyly, Yuuri took in Victor’s cool features. The yellow light from the lamps cast soft shadows across the planes of his cheeks, and his bright blue eyes were squinting from the force of his wide grin. He felt Victor tremble with a laugh after Mari said something particularly dry to Hikaru, and he relaxed into the party.

Once everyone had finished their dinner, Hiroko insisted on bringing a cake from the kitchen. She set it on the table in front of Yuuri and Victor, and they saw the outline of two skates, one with a blade piped in yellow frosting and one piped in grey, under the words “Congratulations Yuuri and Victor.”

“Mom! This looks amazing!” Yuuri said, looking from the cake to where Hiroko stood, radiating happiness. 

“We just wanted to show our support and happiness,” she said simply.

Victor stood abruptly and pulled her into a hug, almost unable to believe how incredible the Katsuki’s were. Hiroko and Mari had mentioned planning a surprise party for Yuuri, but he hadn’t expected to be included, or to be welcomed so officially into the fold. As he was thanking her for the cake and for everything, she stopped him, quietly saying, “It’s the least we can do, after all you’ve done for Yuuri.”

He blinked back tears, and she patted his back lovingly.

The rest of the evening continued similarly, with a guest appearances from Phichit and Yurio, who had made video calls with varying levels of enthusiasm for the celebration. Yuuko was especially happy to see Yurio, and when she expressed how excited she had been to see him win gold he turned a striking shade of pink and managed to drop his phone, which he blamed on his cat.

The evening started to wind down after the triplets had fallen asleep at the table, which the Nishigori’s took as their cue to leave. Yuuko and Takeshi gathered the sleeping girls up and excused themselves, thanking the Katsuki’s for the evening and for the food. “Don’t forget to open our presents!” Yuuko said, Lutz in arms as she gave Yuuri a clumsy one-armed hug. 

“We won’t, thank you so much for coming.”

Takeshi, carrying both Loop and Axel, gave them a nod and a wide grin before following Yuuko out to their car.

Not too long after, Minako made her way home, taking the younger skaters with her. “Since it’s so busy here, I let them stay with me. They all wanted a lesson during their visit, so it made the most sense,” she explained before rounding them up to leave.

Minami promised to come to the rink the next day to watch Yuuri and Victor practice and couldn’t keep himself from chattering to Yuuri the whole way out the door.

Soon, it was the five of them at the table, Yuuri sipping on a beer that may have been his fifth or sixth, since he couldn’t recall how many refills his dad had snuck into his glass. Mari began to clear the empty plates from the table, but stopped Victor and Yuuri when they made to help. “Not this time,” she said, “You can help tomorrow, or next time.”

The clock by the television read after one, and Yuuri stood to stretch as Victor finished his drink. They said goodnight and another thanks to Yuuri’s family, and gathered up the gifts they hadn’t gotten around to opening because of the conversation and food.

Once upstairs, Yuuri deposited the packages on his desk and flopped into bed, letting one foot hang off the side. He was feeling slightly flushed from the drinks and too-sweet desserts, and Victor crawling over the top of him didn’t help.

“Yuuri, your family is so amazing,” he said, burying his face into the space between Yuuri’s neck and shoulder. 

“They are,” he agreed, “But so are you,” he turned his head, inching away so that he could see Victor. “I can’t believe you helped set this up.”

“Only part of it,” he murmured, snuggling closer, “I told Yurio and Phichit to call tonight, and was able to get in touch with the boys’ skating coaches to arrange a visit. Mari also asked if it would be okay for them to bring up our relationship during the party.”

Yuuri turned scarlet, “S-she did?”

Victor pressed a gentle kiss into Yuuri’s cheek, “She just wanted to make sure it would be okay, she said everyone's really supportive but she knows how easily you are to embarrass.”

“W-what did you say when she said  _ that _ ?”

“I said that you would be so overwhelmed from the attention from everything else that it wouldn’t really matter.”

“Victor,” Yuuri groaned, running his fingers through Victor’s hair. “I can’t believe you.”

He adjusted to that he was eye level with Yuuri, their noses close. “You can’t, even now?” His hair had fallen in his face, obscuring one side. 

“You know I can, I just can’t believe how lucky  _ I _ am for having you with me,” Yuuri breathed, touching his nose to Victors, heat rising in his chest. “I love you,” he said, entwining himself with Victor, at their hands, their legs, and anywhere he could reach. 

Closing the gap between them, Victor pressed his lips against Yuuri’s, murmuring his response against Yuuri’s mouth. He then pushed himself up, looking down to soak in Yuuri’s flushed cheeks and dark eyes, brushing his unruly hair out of his face so he could see him better. Carefully, he raised a hand to pull Yuuri’s glasses away and gently set them on the desk, where they would be safe for the remainder of the evening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was probably my favorite chapter to write, hope you enjoyed it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minako ropes Yuuri into helping teach the young Japanese figure skaters a dance lesson.

“The boys wanted to have a dance lesson before they caught their train in the evening, so we’ll be starting at nine,” Minako’s voice greeted Yuuri after the jarring ring from his bedside table launched him into wakefulness.

“Nine?” he asked, squinting at the digital clock on his nightstand, “Minako-sensei, it’s barely seven, couldn’t you have waited an hour?”

“Now isn’t the time to be getting lazy, Yuuri. I know you’re on vacation but you can’t slack off,” she replied sternly.

With a long sigh, Yuuri submitted, “Victor and I will be there.”

Satisfied, Minako reminded him to not be late before hanging up.

Groaning, Yuuri dropped his phone on the bedside table and collapsed back into the pillows, rolling over to look at Victor, who was laying on his stomach, a soft smile playing on his lips. Always an early riser, he was likely awake before the phone had even started ringing.

Arching one perfect brow, he looked at Yuuri expectantly.

“No, I’m going to sleep for another hour at least,” he grumbled in reply to the silent question, curling himself around Victor, pulling the covers above his bare shoulders.

“But if you get up now, Yuuri, we can have some coffee and some breakfast before we go.”

“I would rather stay here with you,” he said, tucking his face under the blankets.

Victor pulled his hand up Yuuri’s side, letting his fingertips graze over the cool skin on his lower back and up to his chest. “How am I supposed to say no to that?”

“That’s the point, you’re not supposed to,” he hummed, tucking himself closer, until his forehead was touching Victor’s. He relaxed into Victor’s touch, his muscles unwinding a little more with each gentle pass of Victor’s palm. 

Yuuri closed his eyes as Victor brushed down his hip, to the outside of his thigh. The touch was easy and light, and Victor sighed, skimming his hand up to rest between Yuuri’s shoulder blades, where he could more easily pull them together.

Ducking his head, he let himself be pulled farther into the embrace, breathing in the distinct, homey scent of Victor’s skin. He pressed a kiss to Victor’s shoulder, bringing himself as close as he could, putting his free hand on the small of Victor’s back. Yuuri felt a sigh ripple through his hair, making him shudder.

Yuuri brought his other hand from where it was pressed against his chest and reached up to tentatively brush along the soft underside of Victor’s chin. 

As if beckoned, Victor shifted, dipping down until they were eye level. His gaze, piercingly blue in the early morning light, searched Yuuri’s face.

With a tilt of his chin, placed an easy kiss on his lips, reaching up to cup his cheek as their lips parted.

Victor pressed up from the bed, propping himself up on one elbow so that he could see Yuuri more completely. Yuuri’s heart quickened as Victor’s fine, soft hair fell in front of his face. 

He reached up and brushed the long fringe out of Victor’s eyes, watching as he leaned into the touch. “Have I ever told you,” Yuuri breathed, watching Victor’s eyes flutter closed, “That you’re  _ so  _ beautiful?”

Victor’s eyes flew open and he dropped himself squarely onto Yuuri, reaching around his shoulders to wrap him as tightly as he could to himself, “ _ Yuuri _ ,” he managed. Compliments from Yuuri were far from uncommon, but always seemed to catch him off guard anyway.

“That’s you, definitely,” Victor responded, kissing Yuuri’s temple.

“Oh please,” Yuuri said, laughing lightly as he circled his arms around Victor.

 

A little more than an hour later, they were stepping into the brisk early morning air, each cradling a paper cup of coffee from Yuuri’s favorite local caf é . Victor had insisted on going out before heading to Minako’s place, then went on to splurge on pastries and a coffee generously topped with cream and caramel.

When he had suggested leaving early to stop for a quick breakfast, Yuuri had whole-heartedly refused, preferring to stay in bed until it was crucial to get up. He regretted that sentiment, however, when he saw a look of utter bliss pass over Victor’s features as he took a sip.

Smiling into the plastic lid of his own coffee, Yuuri ducked his head, sneaking peaks of Victor as they made their way down the street.

“Do you want your scone now, or after the lesson?” Victor asked, offering him the folded paper bag.

“I’ll wait until after, but thank you,” he replied, lowering the cup from his lips. “I’m too nervous to eat.”

“I thought so, but wanted to ask anyway.”

Smiling, Yuuri reached out and patted Victor’s shoulder lovingly, leading the way around a corner.

The morning was unseasonably warm, and there was a sweet taste to the air, marking the changing of the season. Yuuri and took another drink of the simple light roast, which was now almost the perfect temperature. 

“What kind of lesson do you think Minako will have planned for  today?” Victor asked, shifting the pastry bag so that it was in the same hand as his coffee.

As if reading his mind, Yuuri reached out to take his free hand, twining their fingers together. He intentionally let Victor take the position they both liked best, which Victor acknowledged with a gentle squeeze.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not sure how much dance Yuuto-kun and Hikaru-kun have done, so I expect there will be a lot of foundational and demonstrative stuff.”

“I didn’t really watch their performances at the Japanese championships, but it seems like Minami has spent a lot of time dancing.”

“Definitely, but ballet is really different than jazz dancing, so I’d be interested in seeing how he incorporates that experience,” he replied thoughtfully, thinking back to the previous year’s Japanese national competition. He took a long, contemplative drink before saying, “He really does remind me a lot of myself.”

“I know!” Victor said excitedly, “His energy, his technical strengths, his admiration for a certain internationally-successful skater—”

Yuuri gave him a puzzled look, “I don’t remember him mentioning being a fan of yours, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t be.”

Victor all but snorted into his coffee, “Yuuri,” he said, after having regained his composure, “He admitted to you that his costume was styled after one of yours.”

“Yeah, but—”

Victor paused on the sidewalk, giving Yuuri a serious look, “It’s not all that different than you wearing one of my old costumes for your  _ Eros _ program.”

“E-eh?” Yuuri flushed red, ducking his head into his scarf, “It is really different! I didn’t have time to design a costume, and—”

“And you totally could have had another made after the Onsen on Ice showdown.”

“ _ Showdown? _ That’s a little much, and that costume is so perfect! Why would I have picked anything else?”  _ It’s from the first program I saw you perform, _ he added mentally, unwilling to vocalize that thought to Victor at this exact moment.

“Right, so why would a young Japanese skater intentionally mimic your costume?”

“I can’t talk about this,” he said, tightening his grip on Victor’s hand out of embarrassment.

“At the very least, I’m glad he and the other skaters could come learn a little from you.”

Yuuri groaned, “No, Minako never said anything about me teaching anyone anything.”

“We’ll see,” Victor said sagely as they turned onto her street.

Several minutes later, after they had arrived at Minako’s place, she informed Yuuri that she expected him to help lead the lesson as he was changing his shoes.

Horrified, Yuuri looked past her to Victor, who was grinning widely, unconcerned with concealing his smug satisfaction. “O-okay,” Yuuri stuttered to Minako, “What were you planning on working on today?”

A burst of laughter wafted out of the studio, and Minako gestured through the doorway, “Hikaru-kun and Yuuto-kun have been taking ballet with an old colleague of mine for a couple of years. Minami-kun has focused more on jazz and hip hop,” she said, her tone impressed, “They really want to learn parts of your  _ Eros _ routine.”

Turning a particularly vibrant shade of scarlet, Yuuri said, “I can’t teach them that.”

“Why not?” Minako asked drily, turning her serious gaze squarely upon him.

“Ah,” he said flatly, “Well you remember when I came here before Yurio and I competed with our  _ On Love  _ routines?”

She shot him a curious look as she reached up to twist her hair into a practical bun, “Of course I remember, you showed up in the middle of the night.”

“Right,” he glanced at Victor shyly, “Well, you both know that I focused on making the program more  _ me _ , which also happened to be more feminine—”

Victor and Minako exchanged a glance, before she said, “Are you really worried about that, or are you trying to get out of demonstrating?”

Wilting under her direct question, he admitted, “I’m not  _ really _ worried about it but I am feeling a  _ little  _ worried about it.”

“You found success when you were genuinely yourself, why would that be different now?” Victor asked pointedly.

With a heavy sigh, Yuuri straightened his shoulders and adjusted his shirt, “You’re both right, I’ll give it a try.”

“Yes! Fantastic,” Victor said, gently steering him towards the studio.

Upon his entrance, the three young skaters immediately began asking Yuuri a litany of questions in rapid-fire Japanese Victor had trouble following. He only caught words and phrases, and could tell that the amount of attention was all but overwhelming Yuuri. To his credit, however, he was responding to them evenly, and Victor heard him explain that Minako’s studio was where he had learned all he knew about dance, and most of what he knew about figure skating. 

“I even came here the night before I debuted  _ Eros _ ,” he admitted to them, ushering them farther into the practice room, “Minako-sensei has always been there for me, and she helped me pin down how I wanted to express that routine.”

“Did you have trouble learning the choreography, Yuuri-senpai?” Hikaru asked, oblivious to Yuuri’s reaction at being called “senpai” once more.

“N-no, it wasn’t the choreography,” he glanced over their heads to Victor, who was watching the scene with unabashed pleasure, but finding no help from his  fiancé he went on to say, “I just had trouble making the program my own.”

“ _ Oh!” _ Yuuto exclaimed, “I felt that way with my freeskate last season! I never could get it quite right, how were you able to make it work?”

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully, “I guess I just had to think about what I was trying to convey with my program, and where I would fit into the story I was trying to tell. At first I just tried to demonstrate what I thought people would want to see, but that felt so awkward,” he gave a small, nervous laugh, “Really it came down to knowing myself, and having supportive people help me feel comfortable in expressing that part of me on the ice.”

His audience gazed at him with reverence, soaking up each of his words, “That is  _ so cool _ , Yuuri-kun,” Minami breathed.

Minako, after watching the four of them chatter, clapped once, “Let’s start with some stretches, and then we can learn a little bit of a simple sequence…”

Immediately, the boys turned serious and took their positions in a line while Yuuri hesitantly went to join Minako at the front. Victor took a seat on the far wall of the studio, which drew a few sly glances from the three students.

Blushing, Yuuri avoided eye contact with him and kept his attention on Minako, who began to call out stretches for them to do. He found it difficult to pay much attention to how their little group was doing, but as the lesson continued, he began to relax into the familiar movements. His nerves unwound a little more with every push and pull of muscle, and he began to make polite suggestions to his temporary students. Each of them were receptive and took his criticism in stride, adapting their movements to his advice with enthusiasm. 

Towards the very end of the class, Yuuri had a moment of confidence and demonstrated the first few phrases of his  _ Eros _ routine, which earned him some wide-eyed wonder and refreshed eagerness. They copied his steps carefully, allowing themselves to be pushed into position by Minako’s careful hands and guided by Yuuri’s polite suggestions.

Victor watched the class, smiling broadly each time Yuuri answered a question or gracefully worked through a phrase or a particular step. He had a knack for phrasing directions and correcting mistakes in a manner that was easy to follow.  _ His voice and direct approach would make anyone want to listen _ , Victor mused. The three students were eager and willing, taking every word to heart, and by the end of the lesson, they were each flushed with the effort and satisfaction of learning. 

“Nicely done,” Yuuri said, taking his glasses from the windowsill, where he had placed them to keep them safe. “Make sure you cool down before getting ready to leave,” he reminded them, thinking of all the times he had avoided those same instructions from Minako.

Minako stepped forward again and began leading them through a basic series of cool down stretches, explaining each movement and counting as she leaned into each one. After five minutes of this, she dismissed them, but not before making sure they drank water and knew to eat something substantial after their rehearsal.

Of course, the second they were dismissed, the three crowded around Yuuri, who was already making his way to the bench in the lobby where he had changed his shoes earlier. 

“Yuuri-kun, are you and Victor-sama going to go skate?” Minami asked, following closely behind.

Yuuri glanced at Victor, who was waiting in the doorway of the studio, “I don’t think we will right now, but I do want to practice tonight. I was thinking of resting for a little while before skating.”

“Tonight!” Minami groaned, “We’ll be gone by then and won’t be able to watch.”

Flushing, Yuuri said, “I don’t want to spoil any of my new program quite yet.”  _ Or rather, I would keel over from the embarrassment of revealing how far behind I am in my program. _

Minami sank to the ground and kicked off his practice slippers, “I knew getting the chance to see your new program was slim.”

Yuuto shrugged as he slipped on his coat, “Even still, we only have time to get our things and have lunch.”

“So why don’t we all go to lunch?” Victor offered brightly.

“Really?” Yuuri and Minami asked in unison, though with varying tones. 

“Yeah! My treat,” he offered.

Minami turned his wide brown eyes to Yuuri, bubbling with excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~just for fun


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri unwinds from a busy morning, and later he and Victor do a little wedding planning.

Exhausted, Yuuri flopped onto his bed, having not bothered to take his hat or scarf off at the door. Lunch with Minami, Yuuto, and Hikaru had been almost as draining as the dance lesson had been, and his energy was sapped.

Laughing lightly, Victor sat on the edge of the bed and tugged off his hat for him, tossing it onto the desk. “Feeling a little tired from our morning?” he asked unnecessarily.

“I couldn’t answer another question about dancing or ice skating even if I wanted to,” he mumbled into the pillow, crossing his arms underneath it to press his face into it completely.

“You did great!” he said, now reaching for the scarf. “I know reaching out to your fans isn’t the easiest thing for you, but I’m really proud of you teaching them and answering their questions.”

“Ugh,” he grumbled, “For whatever reason, being out with them this morning is making me miss Yurio. He is somehow way easier to deal with.”

“Do you want to call him?” he asked, bemused.

“No, and don’t tell him I said I missed him. He would probably kick me into next week.”

“I’ll do my best not to tell him,” even without looking, Yuuri could tell he was smiling.

“ _ Victor, _ ” he said in warning. “He would never let me live it down.”

“Ah, but just think of how excited he would be to know that you missed him while you were here! Maybe next time he can come with us.”

Groaning, Yuuri flipped over, removing his glasses and covering his eyes with one arm, “Honestly I’ve spent enough time with teenage skaters. I can wait a little while before I jump back into that.”

Laughing, Victor patted his knee, “Fair enough.”

Peaking from beneath his elbow he asked, “Do you want to go to Ice Castle after dinner?”

“Of course, that sounds great,” Victor watched as Yuuri retreated behind his arm again, noticing how his lips had pursed. “What’s on your mind?”

With a sigh, he lifted his arm again to meet Victor’s eyes. “I am really happy to be home, but I miss being in St. Petersburg with you, in our apartment.”

Victor leaned forward, rolling over those words and the way they had been said over in his ears before gently prompting, “But?”

“I feel guilty about missing it there. I miss Japan when I’m away, but now that I’m here I’m just looking forward to getting back to our house and our routine.” Scrunching up his face, he said, “I feel like I should be more grateful.”

“You’re not being ungrateful by missing home,” Victor said reassuringly, and before Yuuri could protest he added, “There’s more than one kind of home. And there’s nothing wrong with having more than one. Instead of feeling guilty about loving more than one place, think about how fortunate you are to have them both.”

Blowing air through his lips, his troubled expression passed. “You’re right, I think I’m just a little worn out from being out all morning.”

“Why don’t you take a breather? I can take Makkachin out for a little while in the meantime.”

“Okay,” Yuuri watched as Victor got to his feet, then said, “Thanks for today, for lunch, for always talking with me, you know.”

Victor paused in picking up Makkachin’s leash, “You don’t have to thank me for any of that. I want to be here for you.”

“Thanks for that too,” Yuuri said, grinning.

With a small laugh, Victor crossed the room and kissed Yuuri on the cheek, “I’ll be back soon. Would you be up for some wedding planning when I get back?”

“Oh! Yeah, I saw something recently I thought you would like,” he pawed his phone from his pocket, “I’ll make sure I find it for you.”

“Sounds wonderful, Yuuri, I can’t wait to see it later. Enjoy your nap!” he added brightly as he exited the room, calling for Makkachin.

Yuuri relaxed into the bed after the door clicked shut behind Victor and swiped into his phone. He hadn’t had much time since they arrived in Japan to scroll aimlessly through his news feeds or browse the internet, and he suspected that Victor knew he had been lacking on that alone time. Warmth spread from his heart and through his chest, and he felt a surge of affection towards his fianc é.

He found an entire series of messages from Phichit, complete with screenshots and photos from his best friend’s day. Among the messages were complaints about the lack of photos Phichit had received that week.

The message contained half a dozen emojis sprinkled throughout the text that read,  _ I got the snap of Victor and Makkachin but that’s it! Send more!!! _

Yuuri felt a smile lift the corners of his lips as he began to tap out a reply, and with that completed, he turned to his instagram feed, where he had been tagged in no less than ten photos taken by both Victor and Minami.  _ Of course _ , he thought dryly,  _ At least Phichit will appreciate all of these. At least they’re decent _ , he decided. Most of the photos Victor had taken were candid pictures of him or photos of Makkachin around town. Minami had insisted on taking a photo at lunch, so the most recent tagged photo was of the five of them crammed into the frame, grinning over bowls of ramen.

Yuuri drummed his fingers on the back of his phone, thinking. Victor always pushed him to be friendlier to his fans and competitors.  _ It’s not as if I don’t want to be friendly, I just get so anxious about it all _ , he thought, studying the photo. 

_ What would it have been like if Victor had taken me out to lunch after a dance lesson when I was Minami’s age?  _ Yuuri glanced at the caption, which contained almost no words between the punctuation and variety of emojis and stickers. Decisively, Yuri tapped the photo twice to leave a “like” and added a brief comment below it. 

“That should make Victor happy,” he said to his room. 

Pleased with himself, he sank farther into the bed, drawing a blanket over his feet as he pulled up the post he had mentioned to Victor. After doing that he aimlessly slid through his feeds, while intermittently texting Phichit, who had seen Minami’s photo moments after Yuuri had commented on it. He slipped a little farther into the bed, skimming through ice skating articles and recipes he hoped to try with Victor. Before long, he was drifting into a nap, and set his phone on the table.

 

“ _ Yuuri,” _ Victor was leaning down, close to Yuuri’s ear, murmuring his name to wake him. He brushed some of his hair out of his face, gently running his fingers through it, which elicited a happy sigh from Yuuri’s lips. He kissed the tip of Yuuri’s nose before saying his name again.

Groggily, Yuuri blinked, his dark gaze turning to Victor’s. “You’re back already?” he managed.

With a musical laugh, Victor said, “Already? It’s almost three.”

“Three!” Yuuri shot into an upright position, “I can’t believe I slept for so long.”

As if in response, Makkachin bounded onto the bed to lick Yuuri’s face. “Makkachin missed you,” Victor said, scratching behind the dog’s ears as it settled into Yuuri’s lap. 

“Did you go to the beach again?” Yuuri asked, nuzzling his face into the soft fur of Makkachin’s neck, which still carried a hint of the outdoor chill.

“No, we went to the park and walked around town for a while. We explored more of the downtown, right, Makkachin?”

Makkachin glanced over his shoulder to evaluate what Victor wanted, and when there was nothing more he went back to pawing at Yuuri, who was more than happy to return the attention. “Sounds like a good walk,” Yuuri replied, rubbing at Makkachin’s belly.

“It was. Did you have a good nap?”

Smiling, Yuuri nodded, “I was pretty beat, but I’m feeling refreshed now. Do you want to go downstairs and get some tea while we look at wedding stuff?”

Victor’s eyes lit, and excitement pulled his face into a wide, open-mouthed smile, “Yes! Makkachin and I saw something on our walk that reminded us of you, too!”

“You didn’t buy anything else, did you?” Yuuri asked, warily glancing at the pile of their luggage in the corner, which seemed to grow a little taller each day they stayed in Hasetsu.

“Not this time! But I was pretty tempted.”

“When aren’t you?” Yuuri asked teasingly, rolling out from under the blankets as he did.

“It’s not like I can  _ help  _ having good taste,” he replied, following as Yuuri lead the way down the stairs.

With a snort, Yuuri ran his fingers through his hair, which was disheveled from his nap. “What was it?”

“Ooh,” Victor sang as they rounded the corner to the dining room, “It’s not really anything for  _ our _ wedding, but while we were out we saw some signs for a new dessert place. They had all different flavors of mochi and varieties of daifuku flavors, too! I thought we could go there together before we leave. It’s not quite spring but I did see something that looked like it had strawberry filling…”

Yuuri smiled, he had only mentioned that strawberry was his favorite dessert flavor once, but Victor was incredible at remembering details like that,  _ If only he were as good at remembering to run errands or do chores _ , he thought wistfully before saying, “I’d love to try it with you! You would probably like the green tea ones.”

“Ok! I’ll be right back, I’m going to put some water on,” he said, breezily heading to the kitchen before Yuuri could get ahead of him. 

The dining room was mostly empty, and Yuuri could faintly hear Victor talking to someone in the kitchen. He glanced at the clock, thinking that his mom was probably the one in there, preparing for the rush that followed Yutopia guests after they spent the day in town. Victor reappeared a few moments later with a pot of tea and two mugs. “Your mom had just boiled water, so there was some left over for us. It’ll be a minute before it’s ready.”

Yuuri took the mugs from him with thanks and set them on the table, next to where Victor placed the pot before fishing out his phone. “So I know the wedding is probably a ways off—”

“I doubt it, you’ll be winning gold at worlds if I have anything to say about it,” Victor interjected.

“I don’t really think I’ll beat you this year,” he said pointedly.

Victor gave him a blank look, then said, “You beat my free skate world record, why wouldn’t you think you could win? I’ve held that record since before I won my first world championship, no one else has even come close to taking that one from me.”

Blushing, Yuuri chose to ignore the question, “At the very least, we’d have to wait until next year in order to get everything organized.”

“Yuuri,” his tone was low and coaxing, and for Yuuri, almost always preceded trouble, “I’ve already contacted a  _ suite _ of wedding planners, each with their own team of organizers. If we wanted to get married  _ tomorrow _ I would call them up and they would get it done. Time isn’t an issue.”

“You’re out of control,” he said quietly, bewildered.

“Now, I didn’t chose any colors or venues or anything yet because I  _ really _ wanted to do that with you, but I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly when we  _ did  _ start planning.”

“Y-you’re already thinking about venues?” he stammered.

Taking Yuuri’s face gently in his hands, he said, “I’ve been thinking about how to make this entire process easy on you and perfect for us. Where do you want to get married?”

Loosely taking hold of Victor’s wrists, he said, “I-I kind of thought it would be nice to get married in Japan? But I wouldn’t mind Russia all that much either…”

“Yes! I was hoping you would say that, I would  _ love _ to get married to you here in Japan. What season are you thinking?”

“O-oh,” Yuuri took a deep breath, “I was actually thinking spring or summer, because I found pictures of these flowers online,” he said, drawing his phone out. Victor dropped his hands and leaned close, peering at Yuuri’s screen as he opened a tab on his browser. “I thought the flowers themselves were really pretty, and when I saw the colors I thought of you, so…” he let his voice trail away and handed the phone to Victor.

The bouquets and arrangements in the flowers were comprised primarily of roses with creamy white petals, decorated with sprigs of lavender and a speckling of pale pink and blue daisies. The ribbon accenting in the series of photos was either a pale sage or delicate pink.

Yuuri watched Victor’s face as he scrolled through the photos, coming to a color palette, which was constructed of similar, airy colors. “I thought that you might like the white, and both pink and purple always make me think of you. I thought we could wear boutonnières with those colors, or even have flower crowns made the way they do when we skate.” Yuuri blushed as the image of a younger Victor with a crown of blue roses floated up from his memory.

Victor lifted his eyes from the screen to search Yuuri’s face, “I love it, it’s perfect.  _ You’re _ perfect,” he leaned close, pressing his lips to Yuuri’s firmly, but only for a moment.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, taking Victor’s hands in his own.

“Of course I like it! I was actually thinking of wearing a white tuxedo and sending out ivory invitations so these light colors would be perfect…” 

Yuuri felt a familiar burst of warmth in his chest as he listened to Victor’s ideas about their plans, and interrupted him quietly, saying, “I’m really looking forward to getting married to you, Victor.”

“It could happen tomorrow!” Victor reminded him.

“Gold medals first!”

“Medal _ s _ ? Multiple?” Victor asked eagerly.

Groaning, Yuuri cursed himself for the slip. “One competition at a time! I can’t think that far ahead, it stresses me out.”

“You said medals, you only need one for us to be able to pick a date, but you already promised me five world championships anyway. I’m just happy to hear that you might be starting to believe in that future.”

Clamping down on the internal voice that wanted to say,  _ I can see almost anything happening as long as we’re skating together _ , he said, “Even if I am, I’d have to win them one at a time anyway!”

“Speaking of winning medals, are you up for skating now? That way we can clean up before going to get dessert after dinner?”

“Sure! Let’s finish our tea, first, and then I’ll grab my things,” Yuuri said, pouring them each a mugful. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I have one more chapter before I'm finished with this. Thanks for sticking by me and my fluffy imagination!


	10. Chapter 10

“Hi Yuuri, Victor. I didn’t expect you two until after hours,” Yuuko greeted them as they crossed the lobby of the skating rink. She was leaning against the counter, on her phone when they arrived.

“We got to talking about gold medals,” Yuuri explained, his cheeks pink from the run over.

“Would we disturb anyone if we did a little bit of work right now?” Victor asked, pulling his fingers through his hair, which had become messy from biking alongside Yuuri.

Yuuko glanced at the time, “It’s been really slow today since it’s the middle of the week. I think the last skater left a little while ago, so you’re more than welcome.”

“Perfect, thanks!” Yuuri said, turning to head to the locker room.

“Oh, but know that the girls are around, so if they bother you let me know and I’ll get them,” she added.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem if they watch,” Victor said, jumping in before Yuuri had the chance to speak.

Laughing, Yuuko said, “If you say so. Enjoy your practice.”

“Thank you!” Victor said brightly, waving before following Yuuri through the door to their right. Once they were seated on the bench, kicking off their shoes, he suggested they have an extra long warm up.

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully, “I have been pretty lazy since we got here, but you have to help me stretch.”

Victor stared at him for a beat, then said quickly, “I’d love to help you stretch.”

Instead of slipping his socked feet into his skates, Yuuri kicked them away and went to pull a soft mat from the storage closet near the door. “You have to actually help,” Yuuri said as he fanned it out onto the floor, “Not just tickle or kiss me.”

With a playful eye roll, Victor said, “When have I ever been less than serious?”

“I can’t recall a single time you  _ have _ been serious,” Yuuri countered, plopping onto the mat and stretching his feet out.

“Fine,” he pouted, making his way to sit behind Yuuri. “But for that you’re going to have to run your program a few extra times.”

Yuuri snorted, knowing the threat held no weight. “Let’s just get the basic exercises out of the way.”

Victor spread his hands across Yuuri’s shoulders, savoring the firmness of his muscles under his thin shirt and the slender set of his build. “Don’t rush them,” he murmured, partially for his own benefit. 

“How are you feeling about your program?” Yuuri asked as he leaned to one side, stretching his back. 

Victor pressed to gently help him deepen the stretch and pursed his lips. His program had been coming fine, though he had been having trouble distilling the essence of what he wanted to convey. “I think the audience will be surprised, so I think it’s going fine.”

Yuuri hummed, “You mentioned before that the audience will be stunned by your return to the ice after a season of being a coach. Do you think they’ll also be surprised by your program?”

Victor rested his forehead on Yuuri’s shoulder, “I’m not sure. The suspense leading up to my  return will carry me a long way.”

“You were so excited about your program before, and it’s coming along well. What are you thinking, Vitya?” Yuuri paused to glance over his shoulder, finding Victor gazing at him with an unreadable expression.

“You think all of my skating is good,” he pointed out.

“Obviously,” Yuuri said drily, “But I can also tell when  _ you _ don’t think it’s very good.”

_ Of course you can _ , Victor thought warmly, adjusting his hands to help Yuuri with the other side of the stretch. “It’s not that I think my skating is  _ bad _ , of course it’s technically perfect,” he said, knowing Yuuri was likely rolling his eyes at that, “But I’ve had so many seasons of skating, and I enjoy it, but I feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface of what it’s like to be your coach.”

Yuuri threw a surprised glance over his shoulder and waited for Victor to continue.

“I would be content to just be your coach forever,  you know that,” he said quietly, “Or to just do pair skates with you. Nothing comes close to the feeling I get when we’re rehearsing  _ our _ program or performing as a team. The feelings from competing on my own are too familiar.”

“I know what you mean,” Yuuri said, pausing his work out. “But I think you still have a lot to show people. I doubt anyone else feels as though your skating feels familiar.”

“Do you?”

“Of course I do,” Yuuri tilted his head to look at Victor from over his shoulder. “I think this part of you that you’re exploring now can be a part of that. The theme of your program is proof,” he leaned forward, but kept talking, “You surprise me every day still.”

Victor rolled the title of his theme around in his head,  _ Life and Love. _ It was something he had been thinking about since before the final, but there was so much he wanted to convey with those two ideas that he had been having trouble adequately expressing them. “I just feel like there’s something missing.”

“Do you need more time with Yakov to pin it down?”

Victor’s heart tightened at the idea of cutting back  _ more _ of their practice time in order to accommodate time with his own coach. “I don’t think that’s the problem, and I really don’t want to scale back, we’ve already cut back so much.”

“Just let me know what you need,” he said, “I believe in you, though. You’ll figure it out.”

Victor exhaled, trying to slow his heart. “I know I will, because I have you to help me.” He watched, pleased, as a blush crept up Yuuri’s neck to his ears.

They chatted as they worked through the rest of the exercises, stealing glances and gentle touches in between stretches, savoring the privacy that the weekday afternoon had granted. Once their skates were on and laced they moved to the rink, doing a few lazy loops over the ice, thoroughly taking their time before starting the real work. 

Victor slid close, mirroring Yuuri’s movements before touching his hand tentatively drifting away again. He caught his partner’s eye, grinned, and they synced up, beginning the first steps of their pair skate without a word.

Even without music, Victor found himself being pulled into the perfect tempo of Yuuri’s movements. The subtle shift of his weight and the curve of his body as he arched through the steps, and the utterly graceful, effortless way he moved took his breath away. There was an soft ache in his lungs as they came together again and Victor readied himself, inching close enough to shadow his partner as their first lift approached. With a deep breath and a long, full gesture, Victor lifted him up and outwards before delicately setting him back down. The warm, tender look Yuuri gave him in response made his breath catch in his throat.

As their routine wound down, they came together, both grinning from ear to ear.

“Pair skating with you will never get old,” Yuuri said, pulling Victor down to place a kiss on his cheek.

“Good, because I’ve already choreographed six more routines,” he said breathlessly.

“I’m not even surprised,” he responded, slipping away. Shaking out his arms, he breathed deeply to ready himself.

“Do you want music?” Victor asked, sliding back to give him space.

With a small shake of his head, he replied, “No, I don’t need it this time,” he thought back to that first night, when Victor had told him about the music that had drawn him to Yuuri. Feeling sure, he took his starting pose.

Victor leaned back and crossed his arms, observing as Yuuri settled into himself. It was striking, the change that came over his face when the anxiety and nerves faded away.  _ This time is different _ , he thought.

The sound of him inhaling, deeply and solidly, whispered across the empty ice. His arms were raised over his head, as if in supplication, and he began his short program.

_ Ah, there it is, _ Victor thought, watching Yuuri glide through the choreography, nailing the step sequence and landing the triple axel without a single hint of self doubt.  _ What could you be thinking?  _ He wondered, transfixed as Yuuri let his arms sweep back, his head tilted back as if wanting.  _ Your theme is victory, but this doesn’t feel triumphant, like we talked about.  _

But it was obvious in the strong lines of his back and the proud, precise movements of his jumps. There was a level of control evident in Yuuri’s skating that hadn’t been there before, and Victor took a step back, watching as Yuuri filled the space with his presence, shaping the air to his rhythm.

Moments later, Yuuri went into his last jump, the one he had failed to complete time and time again in Russia. Victor waited with bated breath, anticipating the moment Yuuri’s skates left the ice to turn and return effortlessly. He wrapped the program up in a flourish, coming to a poised stop feet away from Victor.

It had been better than in St. Petersburg, better than any other rehearsal, and Victor wanted him to know it. Instead of telling him what he thought, however, he asked, “How did it feel?”

Yuuri dropped his pose, rolling his shoulders to loosen them before saying, “Better. How did it look?” His voice was breathy, and his cheeks were tinged pink with the effort.

_ Phenomenal, _ he wanted to say, but instead said, “Better, but it seemed as though your free leg was sloppy coming out of your first quad, and I think your build up into the last jump could have been faster, then you would be able to add more rotations and wrack up a few extra points.”

Yuuri nodded seriously, absorbing all of the critiques without batting an eye, though Victor could see the slightest drop of Yuuri’s chin as he rambled on.

“But really, Yuuri,” he added, “It was better than ever before. Better than without the music, even,” he moved a little closer to ask, “What were you thinking of?”

Yuuri blushed, “I was thinking of you and our apartment. Making coffee in the morning, taking Makkachin for a walk before dinner, cooking and leaving the dishes in the sink after. That’s all.”

_ That, for you, is triumph?  _ Feeling heat rise to his cheeks, he said, “I loved it. When your program is finished it’s going to be magnificent,” and pulled Yuuri into a tight hug.

“Thank you,” he breathed, keeping Victor close.

 

Days later, arms burdened with a suite of suitcases, parcels, and bags, Yuuri and Victor shuffled through the door of their apartment, worn from their day of traveling. The last few days of their visit to Hasetsu had been a mix of lazy relaxation, courtesy of the onsen and Yuuri’s doting family, and long, productive rehearsals at Ice Castle. 

They had caught up on their shows on the way over and spent the rest of their flight talking about what the other skaters might have been up to while they were away. The taxi ride from the airport to their apartment had been muted by the heavy night sky. The city flickered past them, the landscape blinking in and out of focus as Yuuri kept his eyes fixed on the window. A familiar Russian pop song drifted from the speakers.  

Upon opening the door, Yuuri felt the stress of travel slip from his shoulders along with his bags. The living room was a little messy, and it almost looked as if they had never left. Victor’s favorite coffee cup sat on the end table and several blankets were tangled up on themselves, hanging to the floor from one arm of the couch. The book Yuuri had been reading sat open and face down on the coffee table. Makkachin barked once, jumping through the door before doing a quick lap around the room. 

Victor made his way to the couch after piling his things haphazardly in front of the door, and fell into it, stretching out across the cushions, which made the blankets sag completely to the floor. Yuuri hung his coat on the stand, intentionally ignoring that Victor had draped his over the armchair, and smiled at him before padding over to the kitchen to fill Makkachin’s food and water bowls. 

Once that was done, Yuuri went to sink into the couch with Victor to enjoy being back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this nonsense, thanks for reading!


End file.
